World Highlights

p The federal grand jury investigating the leak of a covert CIA operative's identity met with special counsel Patrick Fitzgerald amid signs the prosecutor was preparing to seek criminal charges. Mr Fitzgerald, who has interviewed many senior White House figures as he seeks the source of the leak, declined comment as he left the session that lasted three hours.

p Sunni Arab leaders formed an alliance to fight Iraq's next elections, as the US death toll marched past 2,000 and intensified pressure on Washington. Three Sunni parties joined a coalition to contest the December 15 parliamentary poll, after fierce Sunni opposition narrowly failed to veto a new, US-backed Constitution in a referendum.

p Floridians took cold showers and lined up for gas, water, ice and money as power crews worked to restore electricity to five million people two days after Hurricane Wilma hit Florida's most populous region. With most traffic lights out across the region and residents complaining of long lines for emergency water and ice, gasoline and groceries, life for many of the five million people from Miami to West Palm Beach was a tedious wait for basics.

p The Arab League joined Russia in opposing a Franco-American threat to impose sanctions on Syria if it did not cooperate fully with a UN probe into the killing of Lebanese ex-premier Rafik al-Hariri. In Paris, Mr Hariri's son Saad said he too did not want Syria to be punished in this way. "I'm not with sanctions against Syria," he told reporters after talks with President Jacques Chirac.

p The United States asked China to prove it was trying to stop "rampant" piracy and counterfeiting of American goods from movies, music and software to auto parts, medicine and shampoo. US Trade Representative Rob Portman said the United States was invoking a rarely used World Trade Organization article to request evidence from China of what the communist state is doing to stop the practice.