Space station's crew reports sound of collision

MOSCOW -- A small piece of space junk slammed against the hull of the international space station, causing no apparent damage but startling the two men inside with its grinding, metallic sound, a Russian official said Thursday. U.S. astronaut Michael Foale and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri were apparently safe after the incident. Foale said that he heard something that "sounded like a metal tin can kind of being expanded and compressed." A spokesman for the Russian Space Forces, a military branch that monitors Russia's satellites but also keeps track of the space station, said the orbiter had collided with a small, unthreatening piece of debris.

Hardliners surge ahead in N. Ireland elections

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Hardliners at opposing extremes of Northern Irish politics surged ahead of moderates Thursday in the election for a new legislature, undermining hopes of reviving a Catholic-Protestant government in this British territory. Partial returns from Wednesday's vote showed strong gains for both Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein, the party linked to Irish Republican Army -- a near-impossible combination for reviving power-sharing. Most seats in the 108-seat legislature -- originally elected in June 1998 to promote cooperation between the province's British Protestants and Irish Catholics -- remained unfilled as darkness fell. Final results are to come today.

Parliamentary committee: UK emergency bill flawed

LONDON -- The British government's plans to grant police sweeping new powers to deal with terrorist attacks are dangerously flawed, a parliamentary committee said today. The lawmakers, a joint panel from the House of Commons and the House of Lords that has been scrutinizing the proposals since July, said the definition of "emergency" is too broad. The legislation would give authorities the power to evacuate dangerous areas in the event of a "catastrophic incident" and impose no-travel zones. The government says it is needed to cope with the increased threat of international terrorism.

Thousands in Mexico City come to oppose president

MEXICO CITY -- Union members, left-wing activists and farmers by the thousands marched to the capital's central plaza Thursday for a collective show of opposition to the president's plans to raise taxes on food and medicine and sell state-owned assets. The crowd estimated by police at 80,000 packed major avenues from Mexico's independence monument to the city center. The protest reflected growing frustration with President Vicente Fox and proposals that have led to increasing political paralysis and a sharp drop in the peso against the dollar.

British police arrest two terror suspects

LONDON -- British police arrested two terror suspects, including one with suspected links to al-Qaida, Britain's home secretary said Thursday. Television reports said those links involved convicted "shoe bomber" Richard Reid. A 24-year-old man was arrested in Gloucester, western England, after police evacuated 119 nearby homes and cordoned off three roads out of fear he may have had explosives, authorities said. The British Home Secretary claimed the man had links to al-Qaida. Police also arrested a 39-year-old man in Manchester, northern England, on suspicion of terrorist offenses.

Sharon: Israel must make territorial concessions

TEL AVIV, Israel -- Under pressure to end three years of fighting, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Thursday that Israel cannot hold on to all of the West Bank and Gaza, but also warned Palestinians that unless they moderate their demands he might take permanent hold of some of the land they seek for a state. The Palestinians responded with a sharp rebuke. "This is an unprecedented, arrogant statement. It is rude and it lacks any vision," said the Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath.

-- From wire reports