Iran Iran faced a major confrontation with the international community and threats of UN Security Council intervention when it resumed ultra-sensitive nuclear fuel work after a nine-month suspension. US An independent panel accused the ex-head of the UN oil-for-food program for Iraq of corruption and said questions remained about UN chief Kofi Annan's knowledge of the scandal, which has tarnished the world body. Japan Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called early elections after parliament shot down his plan to privatize the post office, the cornerstone of his agenda since taking office four years ago. Cambodia A Cambodian military court jailed an opposition lawmaker for seven years for plotting to topple the government in a case that has drawn criticism from rights groups and Western governments. Britain An extremist Islamic cleric based in Britain, who faces the threat of possible treason charges over his support for the London bombers, has gone to Lebanon for family reasons, aides said. Saudi Australia and Britain warned that terror attacks could be imminent in Saudi Arabia, following a US move to temporarily close its missions in the country that pushed oil prices to record levels. India India and Pakistan, striving to end decades of hostility, agreed on seven steps to reduce military tension, including a ban on the building of new army posts along their frontier in divided Kashmir. US Discovery's crew prepared to return to Earth Tuesday after bad visibility over the runway delayed by a nerve-wracking day the return of the first space shuttle flight since the 2003 Columbia disaster. Iraq A massive sandstorm derailed a crucial meeting of Iraqi leaders called to break the constitutional deadlock with just a week left to meet a deadline on writing the new charter. Australia Australia said it would start negotiations with China on a nuclear cooperation agreement to ensure that any uranium it exports to the energy-hungry country is used only for peaceful purposes. Mideast Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stiffened his resolve to push ahead with the Gaza Strip pullout after the resignation of his chief rival ,as polls showed public support for the evacuation holding up. Niger Large quantities of food aid began arriving in needy southern Niger, as humanitarian groups continued to warn that tens of thousands of people could die of starvation in the parched northwest African country. Brazil Thieves tunneled into a Brazilian Central Bank branch to steal 65 million dollars, officials said. The country's biggest-ever bank heist was one of the largest in the world.