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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan, defending his book critical of President George W. Bush and the Iraq war, said on Thursday he may have made a mistake by not speaking out sooner.

KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Nepal's political parties voted on Wednesday to abolish the Himalayan kingdom's 239-year-old Hindu monarchy, a key demand of Maoists after they ended a decade-long war against the government.

TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) - China and Taiwan will hold talks next month to hammer out the first steps in opening regular direct flights between the two sometimes bitter rivals, as ties warm following the election of a new president on the island.

COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's military sank two Tamil Tiger boats killing at least five rebels before dawn on Thursday, and rebel artillery fire killed four civilians, the military said.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A general-election race for the White House between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain would feature vastly different approaches on the thorniest political issues, from Iraq and diplomacy to taxes and health care.

CHARLEVILLE-MEZIERES, France (Reuters) - Self-confessed killer and rapist Michel Fourniret and his wife Monique Olivier were sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday in one of France's grimmest serial murder cases.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The grueling Democratic presidential nominating race moves on Saturday from the campaign trail to a Washington hotel, where party officials will hunt for a compromise over disputed contests in Michigan and Florida.

OTTAWA (Reuters) - After decades of foot-dragging, Canada is finally about to take a close look at what one aboriginal leader calls "the single most disgraceful, harmful and racist act in our history".

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Ash from the Chaiten volcano that has been erupting in Chile for nearly a month led the country's flagship airline LAN to cancel flights to a string of small airports on Wednesday.

HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Afghan television journalist Niloufar Habibi never wore the all-enveloping burqa until she was stabbed on her doorstep. Now it is her disguise.

CULIACAN, Mexico (Reuters) - Mexican police need bigger guns to fight increasingly violent drug gangs, a federal police chief said on Wednesday, after drug hitmen killed seven officers in the northern city of Culiacan.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - A draft treaty for a worldwide ban on cluster munitions was adopted on Wednesday although major powers including the United States did not attend the meeting.

PRETORIA (Reuters) - South Africa's government said on Wednesday it was offering shelter to tens of thousands of African migrants who fled their homes during a wave of xenophobic attacks but denied it was setting up camps.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The grueling Democratic presidential nominating race moves on Saturday from the campaign trail to a Washington hotel, where party officials will hunt for a compromise over disputed contests in Michigan and Florida.

DUBLIN (Reuters) - An international conference accepted on Wednesday a draft treaty to ban the use of cluster munitions.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. warships will soon leave waters near Myanmar if the junta does not allow the American military to deliver food, water and other aid to cyclone survivors, a U.S. commander said on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon plans to shift $9.7 billion of its overall budget to pay for war operations but warned on Wednesday it will run out of money if the U.S. Congress does not approve more funding by mid-July.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's president appointed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Wednesday to head a national unity government agreed under a deal ending 18 months of political conflict.

LONDON (Reuters) - The pain of soaring oil prices provoked new protests in Europe on Wednesday, and Britain called for "global solutions" to the energy crisis.

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's attorney general said on Wednesday a surge in drug gang killings, marked by murders of police and decapitations this month, showed an army crackdown on cartels is working.