US The United States said it would drop objections to Iran joining the World Trade Organization even as President George W. Bush warned Teheran that it must abandon any quest for nuclear weapons for world peace. US The United States says North Korea need not completely dismantle its nuclear weapons arsenal before receiving benefits under an aid-for-disarmament proposal offered to the Stalinist state. Iraq Iraq's religious leaders called for calm amid fears of revenge attacks two days after a suicide bomber killed 47 Iraqis and wounded more than 80 in a packed Shiite funeral tent in Mosul. Britain The British parliament approved Prime Minister Tony Blair's new anti-terrorism law, after compromises were struck to end a bitter two-day, round-the-clock debate. Spain Spain ended an emotional day of mourning for the victims of the Madrid train bombings a year ago with a solemn requiem service attended by King Juan Carlos and leading politicians. Lebanon Syrian forces ended a nearly 30-year presence in north Lebanon but the pro-Syrian government in Beirut remained under pressure to secure their withdrawal from every inch of Lebanese territory. Mideast Thousands of members of the Islamic fundamentalist group Hamas and rival Islamic Jihad rallied in the Gaza Strip, sending a message to Israel that only it could bring a halt to anti-Israeli attacks. Africa British Prime Minister Tony Blair threw his weight behind an ambitious campaign to double aid to Africa with an extra 25 billion dollars (19 billion euros) yearly, denouncing the "obscenity" of misery on the continent. Vatican Vatican television showed footage of Pope John Paul II speaking at a mass, the first such images since he underwent throat surgery at Rome's Gemelli hospital more than two weeks ago. Britain A British judge granted bail to a total of eight foreign terrorism suspects, including Muslim cleric Abu Qatada who has been dubbed Al-Qaeda's "spiritual head" in Europe.