Iraq US and Iraqi troops have killed 15 rebels as they chase down insurgents in the northern city of Mosul, while more than a dozen Iraqis were killed in other parts of the embattled country. Iraq A loud blast rocked central Baghdad and a large plume of gray smoke could be seen rising from the area near the Ministry of Health. Chile Asia-Pacific leaders open a crucial annual summit in Chile, determined to pile pressure on North Korea to buckle in a nuclear weapons crisis and to crack international terrorism. Chile Armed with newly consolidated political power, US President George W. Bush and Chinese President Hu Jintao were set to discuss difficult issues like North Korea, Taiwan, and China's currency. Chile A top World Trade Organisation official warned that a growing web of regional trading agreements threatens to wreck global trade negotiations. UN The UN staff union passed a resolution highly critical of the world body's senior management while declining to pin the blame directly on Secretary General Kofi Annan. 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. 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. 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. US International oil prices surged as fears that a looming cold front could expose energy shortages hit jittery markets. Myanmar Myanmar's military government has freed the country's second most prominent political prisoner, student democracy leader Min Ko Naing, an opposition party spokesman told AFP. Philippines The Philippine military has killed up to 10 people in an air raid on a suspected meeting between the Abu Sayyaf kidnap gang and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) extremists, a senior military official said.