Iraqi police say a female candidate in next month's parliamentary elections has been shot dead in the northern city of Mosul by an unknown gunman. The woman, Suha Abdel Jarallah, was running on the list of a secular non-sectarian coalition headed by the former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi.
The former American vice-presidential candidate, Sarah Palin, has said it would be absurd for her not to consider running for president in 2012. In an appearance on the Fox News television channel, she said her focus had widened since she was governor of Alaska. Ms. Palin attracted widespread support among conservative voters during the 2008 campaign.
The biggest annual event in American sport, the Super Bowl, takes place in Miami shortly. The Indianapolis Colts are favourites to win. But many Americans are expected to support the New Orleans Saints, whose city is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Here is Alex Capstick.
When Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent floods racked the city in 2005, the New Orleans Saints’ stadium, the Superdome, became a refugee camp for thousands of homeless people. It was a key image of the city's ruin. Its renaissance as a sports venue and the improved fortunes for the football team which plays there have been recognized as a symbol of the city's recovery. Before Katrina, the New Orleans Saints had an enviable record. But since the devastation five years ago, the Saints have been revitalized into a contender for America's biggest sporting prize.