Two passenger trains have collided just outside Egypt's Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, killing at least 40 people and injuring more than 100.

Israeli forces pounded rocket-launching sites and smuggling tunnels in Gaza today and planes dropped leaflets warning of an escalation in attacks, as Palestinian militants fired at least 15 more rockets at Israel.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice must try to reconcile dissonant elements of the Bush administration policy in the Middle East this week - defending the push for Palestinian elections won by proclaimed terrorists while appealing for help from the kind of autocratic regimes she says have had their day.

A powerful earthquake shook Greece yesterday and was felt across many parts of the Mediterranean, but caused only slight damage and three minor injuries, authorities said.

A suicide bomber blew up his car outside a hospital south of Baghdad today as US troops were handing out food to children, killing 30 people and injuring about 40, including four Americans.