A majority of people surveyed in a global poll think the re-election of George W. Bush as U.S. president has made the world more dangerous and many view Americans negatively as well, says the BBC. The survey by the broadcaster published on Wednesday showed that only three countries -- India, the Philippines and Poland -- out of 21 polled thought the world was safer following Bush's election win in November. Bush will be inaugurated for his second term on Thursday. On average across all countries, 58 percent of the 22,000 surveyed said they believed Bush's re-election made the world more dangerous. "This is quite a grim picture for the U.S.," said Steven Kull, director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes at America's University of Maryland.

At least 26 people were killed in a wave of violence across Iraq today as the rebel insurgency intensified its operation to derail the nation's first post-Saddam elections, now only 11 days away.

A Palestinian anti-tank missile struck a vehicle at an Israel-Gaza border crossing today, wounding one Israeli, Israeli military officials said.

The Pentagon has been conducting secret reconnaissance of potential target sites inside Iran, reigniting the debate here over whether the US should take military action to destroy Tehran's suspected nuclear weapons programme. Donald Rumsfeld, is steadily gaining complete control of covert operations. President George Bush has authorised commando and special forces units to take action against terrorist targets in "as many as 10" countries in the Middle East and south Asia. But the top strategic target is Iran, say unidentified officials interviewed for the article. Both US and European experts believe that the regime in Tehran is only a few years from acquiring a nuclear weapon and a delivery system, under development at "three dozen or more" sites scattered across the country. The reconnaissance missions are said to have been under way "at least since last summer", to identify targets that could be hit either by air strikes or commando raids on the ground. "It's not 'if' we're going to do anything against Iran," one former high-level intelligence official is quoted as saying. "They're doing it."