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BAGHDAD, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Immediately following the execution of former dictator Saddam Hussein, the news spread throughout Iraq by means of phone messages, a report says.

OTTAWA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board wants to know whether children in Israel are being abused, as some Israelis seek asylum in Canada.

VATICAN CITY, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- New policies imposed on the Vatican's Swiss Guard by its commanding officer have the small unit's troops infuriated and threatening mutiny, a report says.

LONDON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Many New Year's celebrations across Britain were canceled or postponed Sunday due to rain and high winds.

LONG BEACH, Calif., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Conrad Buchanan, who tried in 1998 to save a woman from suicide and subsequently became known as a hero, has died at his California home at age 34.

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Court papers detailing the specific accusations against four Marines in the deaths of Iraqi civilians in Haditha have been released in San Diego.

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The Army Corps of Engineers, having admitted to design flaws in the New Orleans levees, now is trying to predict how the city would fare in the next hurricane.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Police in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., have arrested a teenage boy for allegedly attacking an area homeless man twice within seven hours over the weekend.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, a Democratic presidential candidate, says what he calls the "McCain doctrine" is the wrong approach for Iraq.

NEW DELHI, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- An angry mob in Nithari, India, broke through a gate Sunday at the home of a man accused of sexually abusing and killing multiple children.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., says President Bush should consult Congress before deciding whether to increase troops in Iraq. Lugar says the president may pay a big political price if he doesn't.

BANGKOK, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Hours after six bombs marred New Year celebrations in Bangkok, a powerful explosion rocked the Thai capital's World Trade Center.

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- The president of the Democratic Republic of Congo has appointed opposition leader Antoine Gizenga to the post of prime minister.

YA'AN, China, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Two Chinese military helicopters were forced to abort the search for a missing U.S. mountain climber Sunday due to poor weather conditions.