Iraq Up to 650 people were crushed to death or drowned in a stampede on a Baghdad bridge after a deadly mortar attack on a sacred shrine where up to one million Shiite Muslim pilgrims were massed. US Rescue crews pushed bodies aside to get to stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina as hundreds were feared dead, and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour said 90 percent of buildings in the worst-hit area of the Gulf Coast in his state were "totally just gone". Indonesia Tears of joy and hope flowed in Indonesia as authorities freed more than 1,400 rebel Acehnese prisoners detained around the country, meeting a key condition of a historic peace pact. Philippines The Philippine Congress threw out two impeachment complaints against President Gloria Arroyo, all but guaranteeing she would remain in power despite charges she rigged last year's election. Poland As world dignitaries and ordinary workers marked the Solidarity movement's 25th birthday, some members of the present-day trade union protested at the shipyard where Solidarity was born, to denounce deteriorating conditions in Poland. Germany German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder issued a defiant call to battle at a party congress of his Social Democrats ahead of a general election they are almost certain to lose. Britain The race to lead Britain's once-mighty Conservative Party out of the political wilderness hotted up as Kenneth Clarke, a veteran europhile who opposed the Iraq war, threw his hat into the ring. Mideast Israel's parliament was set to approve a historic plan for Egyptian border guards to patrol along the Gaza border after the departure of the last Israeli troops from the territory next month. China European Union states are keen to end a costly dispute over Chinese textile imports, the EU's executive said, although five members are believed to oppose one compromise being discussed.