Leftist Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega won 40.43 percent of the votes in Sunday's elections in Nicaragua, enough for him to win an outright victory, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said in a statement on Monday.

The international community on Monday continued to respond to the death sentence given on Sunday to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who was removed as head of the co-ruling Funcinpec Party in October, has agreed to form an alliance with Prince Sisowath Thomico and campaign as a single party for the 2008 general election, the Cambodian Daily reported on Tuesday.

U.S. voters will cast their ballots to elect the 435 members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the 100 Senate members on Tuesday in the 2006 midterm elections.

The United States said on Monday that Japan should continue to be part of the six-party talks in addressing the nuclear issue of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

U.S. President George W. Bush said on Monday that the death sentence of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein was "a landmark event in the history of Iraq."

Palestinian security officials said on Monday night that the Israeli army announced that it had ended its Autumn Clouds military operation into northern Gaza Strip that started on Wednesday morning.

An Egyptian accused of involvement in the 2004 train bombings in the Spanish capital of Madrid was sentenced to 10 years in prison by an Italian court on Monday.

Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D' Alema said on Monday in Paris that executing Saddam would be " unacceptable."

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas held on Monday night "decisive" talks with Prime Minister of Hamas- led government Ismail Haneya in Gaza City on forming a national unity government.