Lebanon Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese mourners bid farewell to former prime minister Rafiq Hariri at a politically charged funeral that underscored tensions with Syria over his murder. Iraq Kidnapped Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena was shown in tears pleading for her life and for the withdrawal of Italian troops from Iraq, in the first video broadcast showing the reporter since she was kidnapped in Baghdad two weeks ago. UN The Kyoto Protocol, the landmark treaty requiring cuts in gas emissions which cause global warming, took effect with the support of 141 nations but a boycott by the biggest polluter the United States. US Nuclear-armed North Korea could resume missile tests anytime and has active biological and chemical weapons programs, CIA Director Porter Goss told Congress. Iran Regional allies Iran and Syria pledged to form a "united front" against foreign threats, with Damascus under global suspicion over the killing of Lebanon's former prime minister Rafiq Hariri. Mideast The Israeli government's planned pullout from the Gaza Strip was set to pass a major hurdle with MPs voting on a bill to compensate settlers, after the army chief of staff who was expected to oversee the withdrawal was shown the door. Mideast Russia confirmed that it intended to sell a new air defense missile system to Syria despite Israeli and US opposition, but insisted the weaponry was only of short-range capability and would not upset the balance of military power in the Middle East. Nepal Nepal's army chief has pledged to uphold human rights as security forces seek to crush a Maoist revolt following King Gyanendra's seizure of power, state media reported. Nobel At least 166 names figure on this year's list of Nobel Peace Prize candidates, the Nobel Institute said, with observers expecting to find former US secretary of state Colin Powell and Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko in the running. Zimbabwe Zimbabwean police broke up a meeting of the main opposition party ahead of key parliamentary elections next month and arrested a senior official, a party spokesman said. Britain British police searched for fresh clues into the death of Princess Diana as they created a new, improved reconstruction of the 1997 car crash in a Paris tunnel.