A short look at what is happening in the world this morning.
10 killed in explosions at Hamas rally
GAZA - A truck carrying masked militants and two home-made rockets blew up at a Hamas rally in Jebaliya, Gaza yesterday, killing at least 10 Palestinians and wounding 85, 10 seriously.
Hamas blamed Israel, but the Israeli military denied involvement. The Palestinian Interior Ministry said the blast was set off by explosives being mishandled.
The rally was held in the Jebaliya refugee camp, one of the last military-style parades before a ban on flaunting weapons in public - agreed to by all militant groups - is to go in effect this evening. - (AP)
Most in US foresee no victory in Iraq
NEW YORK - Fewer than half Americans now believe the US will win the war in Iraq, according to a new poll. Confidence in President George Bush is at an all-time low, his approval rating battered by the Iraq war and his government's slow response to the Hurricane Katrina disaster.
The latest assessment comes as anti-war protesters prepare to descend on Washington this weekend for what they hope will be the biggest demonstration since the war began.
Cindy Sheehan, the bereaved mother who led anti-war protests near Mr Bush's Texas ranch last month, will lead a march around the White House tomorrow. - (Reuters)
Man held in airport alert
MANCHESTER - British police used a stun gun to subdue a man who burst through a security perimeter into Manchester airport yesterday, causing a security scare that shut it down for over two hours.
The man was carrying a briefcase which was blown up by bomb disposal experts in a controlled explosion. It contained clothes, papers and a passport. The airport reopened after the suspicious package was checked. - (Reuters)
Khodorkovsky defence targeted
MOSCOW - Russian prosecutors have sought to strip Mikhail Khodorkovsky's defence lawyers of the right to practise just hours after the tycoon's appeal was dismissed and his foreign lawyer was ordered out of Russia.
The Prosecutor General wanted the justice ministry to remove the status of lawyer from Khodorkovsky's defence team for trying to "ruin" the appeal hearing, a spokeswoman said.
She appeared to refer to wrangling before Thursday's hearing, in which some of the team refused to represent Khodorkovsky even though ordered to do so by the Moscow court.
Defence lawyers said the move reflected the wish by authorities to punish them for defending Khodorkovsky. - (Reuters)
France calls for EU core countries
PARIS - France's foreign minister has called for a small vanguard of countries to be the engine of future EU integration.
The proposal for a core group to lead reforms in areas such as the economy, defence, security and foreign policy revived an idea which small EU states fear could create a two- speed Europe and leave them far behind powers such as France and Germany. - (Reuters)
Study may give clues on Down's
LONDON - Scientists have successfully transplanted human chromosomes into mice, which could transform medical research into the genetic causes of Down syndrome. The mice were genetically engineered to carry a copy of human chromosome 21, a string of about 250 genes.
Studies of the mice will help scientists to nail down which genes give rise to conditions prevalent among people with Down syndrome, such as impaired brain development, heart defects, behavioural abnormalities, Alzheimer's disease and leukaemia. - (Guardian service)