Ukraine Ukraine's electoral commission named pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich the winner of the hotly disputed presidential election, as opposition supporters massed to demand the results be annulled. Ukraine The EU warned Ukraine of "consequences" for its hopes of closer ties with Europe if it fails to respond to concerns about contested elections, as an EU envoy was rushed to crisis-wracked Kiev. Ukraine The United States cannot accept the results of the presidential election in Ukraine as "legitimate," Secretary of State Colin Powell said, calling for a review of the tally. Iraq US-led forces swept hotspots in the "triangle of death" in a push to reclaim rebel enclaves ahead of key January polls, as more than 200 political groups threw their hat in the electoral ring. Iran In a dramatic 11th hour move ahead of a crucial UN atomic agency meeting, Iran has asked the watchdog to exempt several dozen centrifuges from its pledge to freeze its nuclear fuel cycle, diplomats told AFP Wednesday. India Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said he held "cordial and friendly" talks with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh but insisted further progress in bilateral ties hinged on a solution to Kashmir. Italy Courts across Italy were largely deserted as magistrates went on strike to protest planned legal reforms by Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government, which they say threaten their independence. Afghanistan Three UN workers freed after almost four weeks in captivity in Afghanistan met President Hamid Karzai and said freedom felt "wonderful" as the first of them flew home for a reunion with his family. France President Jacques Chirac arrived in Libya in the first ever visit by a French head of state, confirming maverick leader Moamer Kadhafi's gradual return to international respectability.