Today's Story Line

The tensions over Iran's political path erupted into violence this weekend. Will the struggle remain within the country's governing institutions or again spill into the streets ?

In Northern Ireland, violence preceded yesterday's annual Orange Order parade. Some see it as a last gasp by those opposed to the Good Friday peace accord.

Quote of note: "[Drumcree] does not have the capacity to bring down the peace accord on its own." - Paul Bew, professor of Irish politics at Queen's University, Belfast.

President Slobodan Milosevic rushed through a constitutional change that allows him to serve for eight more years. But will the Yugoslav voters re-elect him?

How Japan goes hunting for votes in the International Whaling Commission.

David Clark Scott World editor

REPORTERS ON THE JOB..

*Don't pack yet: All last week, Mideast correspondent Scott Peterson heard analyst after analyst explain why it was "in nobody's interest" - neither Iran's determined reformers, nor its hard-line clerics - for violence during this weekend's "peace" protest. One added this caveat: "But with Iran, you never know." Figuring the same, Scott booked a flight out on the morning after the student anniversary. He worked on another story most of Saturday. Later, he swung by the area of confrontation and saw smoldering tires and an air of anarchy - no police to stop the ranks of roaming vigilantes - giving lie to the pro-democracy placards: ""Smile for reforms." The lesson, says Scott: "Never book just one departure date out of Iran, even when the pundits talk peace." At press time, he was still revising his travel arrangements.

FOLLOW-UP ON A MONITOR STORY..

*POTTERMANIA: At $25.95 per book, copies of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" flew out of bookstores this weekend. Some London shops reported selling books at a rate of 100 an hour. In the US, FedEx delivered 250,000 on Saturday. "I'm amazed - think of a stronger word and double it," said author J.K. Rowling, at the start of her book tour.

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