Ukraine A tense standoff gripped Ukraine after its pro-Russia prime minister won the presidential runoff, with the opposition mounting massive protests to contest results of a vote that Western observers said was rigged by the state. Iraq A two-day international conference on Iraq kicked off in this Red Sea resort with foreign ministers from Iraq and its six neighbours holding a meeting chaired by Egypt, in a live televised opening session. Iran Iran said it was freezing its controversial nuclear fuel work in a move welcomed hailed by the head of the UN's atomic watchdog as a step in the right direction to easing fears the Islamic regime is seeking the bomb. EU The European Union's new executive commission took office after a three-week delay facing yet another fierce row over one of its members. A legal controversy surrounding the French commissioner in charge of transport, Jacques Barrot, grabbed the limelight from commission president Jose Manuel Barroso's aim of focusing on tough issues such as economic reform. Mideast US Secretary of State Colin Powell, on a mission to breathe new life into Middle East peace efforts, said there was a "moment of opportunity" as Israel and the United States pledged to back next year's Palestinian election. Afghanistan US and Afghan forces staged a dramatic pre-dawn raid on three houses in southwest Kabul in a bid to locate and free a trio of foreign UN hostages held for over three weeks, officials said. China Investigators ruled out sabotage as the cause of a plane crash that killed 54 people in northern China, as they examined debris for clues as to why the commuter jet plunged into an icy lake. China The death toll from a fire at five connected iron ore mines in northern China rose to 57 after more bodies were lifted out of the smoke-filled shafts, as those in charge of the operation were detained.