Bridge in southeast Madagascar dynamited:A bridge has been blown

Bridge in southeast Madagascar dynamited:A bridge has been blown up on a vital road link between the Madagascan capital Antananarivo and the southeastern coast, police said on Tuesday. The bridge is the fifth to be blown up since backers of long-time ruler Didier Ratsiraka began sabotaging bridges and setting up roadblocks in a bid to starve the capital of vital goods, after his election rival Marc Ravalomanana declared himself president in February. --AFP

Australian-U.S troops kill 4 al-Qaeda members: Australian special forces, backed by U.S. troops, killed up to four al-Qaeda rebels on the Afghan-Pakistan border at last bringing into the open a shift of fighting to the sensitive frontier region, military spokesman said on Tuesday. --Reuters

China slammed for detaining, torturing workers:In a report timed ahead of International Labor Day, Amnesty International on Tuesday slammed China's use of imprisonment and even torture to keep blue-collar activists quiet. --AFP

Chirac prepares for decisive action:If he is reelected on Sunday, France's conservative President Jacques Chirac will act swiftly to push through a reform program to clamp down on crime and stimulate the country's economy, supporters said on Tuesday. Chirac, 69, is almost certain to take Sunday's run-off election against far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, 73. --AFP

Microsoft trims witness list, cites strong case:Microsoft Corp. told a federal judge on Monday it will not call nearly half of its remaining defense witnesses, citing "progress made so far" in defending itself from severe antitrust sanctions. The software giant reached a settlement with the Justice Department and nine other states last November. --Reuters