Australia
DARWIN — Workers on Monday began laying tracks for a railroad that will complete Australia's north-south rail link and provide a new trade route to Asia. Officials gathered in Katherine, 150 miles southeast of the Northern Territory capital city of Darwin, for a ceremony to mark the start of work on about 880 miles of rails that will cross the desert Outback.
Colombia
BOGOTA — A leader of an oil workers' union was freed by a right-wing paramilitary group which had kidnapped him a month ago. Gilberto Torres was delivered "safe and sound" to representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and Colombian government human rights and peace officials.
VILLAVICENCIO — Mourning family members planned funerals for 12 people who were killed when bombs rocked a popular nightspot area over the weekend, as residents worried the attacks heralded a bloodier phase in Colombia's civil war. No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts.
East Timor
AILEU — On a soccer field in East Timor's central mountains, thousands came to hear Jose Alexandre "Xanana" Gusmao make his campaign pitch. Soon to become the world's newest country, East Timor is holding its first presidential election this Sunday, and the former guerrilla leader is the overwhelming favorite.
Germany
MUNICH — The core unit of heavily indebted German media group Kirch filed for protection from creditors Monday, preparing the way for banks and new investors to take control of the broadcasting empire built by 75-year-old founder Leo Kirch. The insolvency filing, announced in a one-line statement by the district court in Munich, applies only to KirchMedia.
Hungary
BUDAPEST — Hungary's opposition Socialist Party won a small but likely decisive victory in the first round of parliamentary elections and prepared to consult with a potential ally on winning a runoff. An ultra-nationalist party, known for its occasional anti-Semitic rhetoric, failed to get the five percent of the votes it needed to gain parliamentary representation.
Indonesia
JAKARTA — In a case seen as a test of the government's resolve to fight high-level graft, a Jakarta court ruled that the corruption trial of Indonesia's parliamentary speaker should proceed. Defense attorneys had petitioned the five-judge panel to throw out the case, claiming that parliamentary speaker Akbar Tandjung had no role in the graft and that the indictment was unclear.
Japan
TOKYO — A scandal-tainted lawmaker who was once a close ally of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi resigned from Parliament over alleged misuse of political donations. Koichi Kato, who had already quit Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party because of alleged tax evasion by an aide, was called before Parliament to testify.
The Netherlands
THE HAGUE — The war crimes trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic resumed Monday after a three-week interruption that set back the courtroom schedule. Milosevic had fallen ill, leading to a two-week adjournment, followed by a one-week recess previously scheduled for the first week of April.
Russia
MOSCOW — Russia will resume shipments of nuclear fuel from Soviet-era weapons to the United States this month for use in U.S. power plants, after months of debate over prices, Russia's nuclear energy minister said Monday. The shipments are part of a U.S.-funded program aimed at keeping nuclear materials out of terrorists' hands.
Taiwan
TAIPEI — A moderate earthquake rattled Taiwan's northeastern coast Monday. No damage or injuries were immediately reported. The magnitude 5.1 tremor was centered at sea six miles off the eastern coastal county of Hualien, the Central Weather Bureau said.
Yemen
SAN'A — Yemen and the United States have struck a deal that will allow U.S. warships to refuel in the port of Aden, some 19 months after 17 American sailors were killed there in the bombing of a destroyer. The agreement provides for U.S. Marines to help Yemeni forces in providing security in the port where a small boat, laden with explosives, was detonated beside the USS Cole in October 2000.