Iraq Hundreds of Iraqi commandos stormed into the historic heart of the main northern city of Mosul as five people were killed in violence in Baghdad. Sudan The Khartoum government and rebels pledged to sign a final accord ending a two-decade war in southern Sudan by the end of the year, as the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution pushing for peace in the war-ravaged country. Iran Iran is producing the uranium feedstuff that could be used to make nuclear weapons, only days before it is due to introduce a promised ban on all such enrichment activities, diplomats said. UN The UN staff union was meeting to discuss a no-confidence measure against senior management of the United Nations, which has been hit by a series of scandals involving top UN officials. UN UN Secretary General Kofi Annan admitted there was clear evidence that civilian staff and a small number of troops in its peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had committed sexual abuse, saying he was outraged by the incidents. Namibia President Sam Nujoma's chosen successor, Hifikepunye Pohamba, won an overwhelming victory in elections in Namibia, garnering more than 77 percent of the vote, results from more than half of counted ballots showed. Mideast French authorities have handed over the medical file on recently deceased Palestinian Authority president Yasser Arafat to his widow Suha, who is studying it, her lawyer said. Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf said he was dismayed by India's response to his efforts to bring peace to Kashmir, and vowed to save Pakistan from the clutches of Islamic extremism. Russia Russia set a date for the auction of Yukos's main unit in a move that will pluck the embattled firm's crown jewel and effectively destroy what last year was considered the nation's best-run oil company. Vatican One of the leading figures in the Roman Catholic Church, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, launched a passionate defence of Christianity and criticised what he called aggressive secularism in Europe.