Iraq Supporters of Radical cleric Moqtada Sadr in Baghdad were due to starting handing in their weapons under a deal with the Iraqi government, while two US soldiers died in a Baghdad rocket attack. Nigeria Nigerian workers began a four-day nationwide general strike in protest against rising fuel prices in the trade unions' latest challenge to President Olusegun Obasanjo and his economic reforms. US US actor Christopher Reeve, who brought comic book hero Superman to the silver screen, then championed the disabled after an equestrian accident in 1995 left him paralyzed, has died of heart failure at the age of 52, his publicist said. Afghanistan Intense negotiations were under way in Afghanistan to reach a breakthrough agreement over the disputed election with President Hamid Karzai's main rival, Yunus Qanooni, Qanooni's aide and an election official told AFP. Mideast Israel pushed on with its massive offensive in the northern Gaza Strip despite reservations of senior army chiefs as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was to address parliament on his plan to pull out of the Palestinian territory next year. EU The European Union ramped up sanctions on Myanmar after the military-ruled state failed to meet EU demands for progress on democracy and human rights, an EU source said. Australia Australian Prime Minister John Howard promised his newly-elected fourth-term government would strive to maintain a strong economy and fight terror as top priorities, but would not let the strongest government mandate for 23 years go to its head. Pakistan A tribal leader linked to Al-Qaeda threatened to execute one of two Chinese hostages by 1100 GMT Monday unless the captors were allowed to flee their besieged base near the Afghan border. Lithuania A party led by a Russian-born millionaire bid for a key government role in the tiny Baltic state of Lithuania after coming out on top in first-round parliamentary elections. Cameroon Voters in the west African state of Cameroon began going to the polls in a presidential election observers believe incumbent President Paul Biya is virtually certain to win. South Africa South African businessman Shabir Shaik went on trial in one of the largest cases in post-apartheid history, implicating Deputy President Jacob Zuma in bribery and corruption.