Iraq At least 62 people were killed when car bombs ripped through Iraq's two holiest cities, exacerbating fears of a spike in violence targeting the Shiite majority ahead of January elections. Russia A mystery bidder grabbed the crown jewel of Russian oil giant Yukos in an auction that destroyed the country's top private firm, handing it to a shell company seen as a front for the state-run gas monopoly Gazprom. Sudan The Sudanese government agreed to halt a major offensive in Darfur in a bid to pull peace talks with rebel groups back from the brink a day after ignoring an African Union ultimatum to stop its military operations. Indonesia A large explosion was heard over Jakarta after a suspected meteor was seen streaking across the sky over the Indonesian capital. US President George W. Bush was named Time magazine's Person of the Year, after a reelection victory that he said was about the "use of American influence."