IRAQ: Two days after Saddam Hussein was sentenced to death for crimes against humanity, the former Iraqi dictator was returned to court today (Tuesday) to face charges of genocide. Saddam walked calmly into court in Baghdad today (Tuesday) and took a seat beside six co-defendants. All are accused of genocide, murder and torture during a military campaign against Iraqi Kurds in the late 1980s -- charges punishable by death. Sunday, Iraq's High Tribunal condemned Saddam to death by hanging for ordering the killing in 1982 of (148) Shi'ite villagers (in Dujail).
US POL: As election day arrives in the United States, Americans are set to determine -- among other things -- which party will control Congress. Late polls show opposition Democrats could win a majority of seats in the House of Representatives, but control of the Senate is difficult to predict because several races are too close to call. Tuesday's elections will also include gubernatorial races in many states, along with ballot questions on issues ranging from abortion to homosexual marriage to stem cell research.
NOKOR-FLOODS: An international relief agency says 73-hundred people have been made homeless by the heavy rains and flooding that inundated North Korea late last month. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says the storms that slammed Kangwon province on October 21st and 22nd damaged or destroyed 732 homes and flooded 366 others.
THAILAND-SOUTH: Police in Thailand's restive south say suspected militants have killed two people and torched a school. At least one person was shot today (Tuesday) in Pattani province, in Thailand's mainly Muslim south. It is not immediately clear where the second death happened. Meanwhile, in Yala province, also in the south, suspected insurgents set fire to a school. No injuries were reported in that incident
VIETNAM-WTO: The World Trade Organization has formally invited Vietnam to become its 150th member, more than a decade after Hanoi started negotiations to join the group. The W.T.O.'s governing council approved Vietnam's accession terms by consensus at a meeting today (Tuesday) in Geneva, Switzerland. Vietnam will officially become a member of the trade body 30 days after its national assembly ratifies the entry agreement. The ratification is expected to take place this month.
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