Mideast Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon moved swiftly to forge a national unity government after winning approval to reshape his coalition and crushing internal opposition to his Gaza pullout plan. Iraq A US soldier who said he shot dead an unarmed and wounded Iraqi civilian to "put him out of his misery" was found guilty of murder at a court martial in Baghdad. Russia Russia reserves the right to carry out preventive strikes with conventional weaponry on terror bases anywhere they are found in the world, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency. Japan Japan approved an overhaul of its military policy to take account of threats from China and North Korea and to allow defense exports to the United States. US The United States gave UN Secretary General Kofi Annan a belated show of support but said the United Nations remains under a cloud over allegations of corruption in Iraq. Canada Canada's Supreme Court gave the government the go-ahead to change the definition of marriage, a famous victory for gay and lesbian groups battling for equal rights. China Thirty-three workers were killed after a gas explosion at a coal mine in north China, once again highlighting the appalling safety standards blighting the industry, officials said. US A United Airlines jumbo jet took off from San Francisco at the start of the historic first US commercial flight to Vietnam since the fall of Saigon nearly 30 years ago. Philippines Philippine rescuers were digging through the rubble of a collapsed building for more survivors, as the number of dead and missing from two storms which lashed the country rose to nearly 1,600. Ghana Incumbent President John Kufuor won a second term as president of Ghana, defeating his rivals outright in the first round of the election, according to official results.