>>Zimbabwe - Yesterday the high court of Zimbabwe dismissed the opposition's appeal for an immediate release of long-delayed results of the presidential election held late last month. In response, the Movement for Democratic Change called for a nationwide strike today, which is also when the high court is set to rule on the opposition's objection to a government recount of votes controlling 23 seats in parliament.

>>Iraq - Richard Butler, the CBS photographer who was kidnapped two months ago in Iraq, was rescued yesterday in Basra in a raid by Iraqi soldiers. Moqtada al-Sadr claims to have negotiated his release. Iraqi reports of the incident are somewhat contradictory -- one source claiming he was stumbled upon and another confirming that they acted on a tip. Bilal Hussein, an AP photographer who has been held by American forces for two years on suspicion of aiding insurgents, was also released yesterday.

>>Italy - Silvio Berlusconi's center-right alliance won a resounding victory in parliamentary elections, according to results released yesterday. Berlusconi will become prime minister again after two years in opposition. Italy's failing economy appears to have been the decisive factor in the election. Berlusconi owes his majority to an alliance with the right-wing Northern League that favors a federalist system and that brought down his first government in 1994. However, many small parties faired poorly in this election (the Communist Party, for the first time ever, didn't claim a single seat), which bodes well for the stability of the government. This is Italy's 62nd government since World War II.

• In the Wake of Food Riots, A UN Police Officer Killed in Haiti
• Elevating Adolescent Girls on the Global Agenda
• UN Plaza: Rape in the Congo

Africa

• Uganda - 19 Children Die in Uganda School Fire
• Somali - 4 Teachers Are Killed in Raid by Islamists on Somali School
• Kenya - Gang Fights Police in Several Towns
• Uganda - Ugandan president says Kony "not serious" on talks
• Uganda - Ugandan LRA rebel deputy 'killed'

Americas

• Cuba - Long Lines for First Cellphones
• Mexico - Mexico Opposition Barricades Congress
• Guatemala - Strong quake off Guatemala, no casualties reported
• Peru - Yale's Machu Picchu haul 10 times as big as thought
• Ecuador - Ecuador crash victim's father defends gap year adventures
• Colombia - Bush angered over Colombian deal

Asia

• Turkmenistan - EU secures Turkmen gas deal
• Russia - Putin Accepts Leadership of Party
• India - Gandhi daughter visits assassin
• Japan - Japan by-election holds clues to PM Fukuda's fate
• China - China will execute 374 people during Olympics, Amnesty estimates
• Afghanistan - Taliban Attack Kills 11 Officers at a Police Post in Afghanistan
• Pakistan - U.N. Inquiry Urged for Bhutto Death
• S. Korea - South Korean leader heads to US
• Japan - Whalers Miss Their Target by Almost Half
• Korea - Seoul backs talks on nuclear-free N Korea
• China - China moves to cut food oil overcapacity

Europe

• Poland - Warsaw Ghetto uprising marked
• France - Carrefour faces China boycott bid
• Ireland - Northern Ireland: Successor to Paisley Chosen
• Spain - Up to 800 people checked after Spain radioactive leak
• France - Berlusconi election victory could ensure Italian future for airline

Middle East

• Israel - Clash follows incursion into Gaza
• Israel - Israel snubs Carter, declines security help
• Israel - Israel, U.S. to share nuclear safety research

Oceania