Iraq A half-brother of ousted president Saddam Hussein, accused of masterminding Iraq's deadly insurgency from neighbouring Syria, has been arrested. Iran Iran and Russia signed a landmark nuclear fuel accord that paves the way for the firing up of the Islamic republic's first atomic power station, a project the United States alleges is part of a cover for weapons development. Vatican Pope John Paul II made a surprise appearance at his hospital window, his first since undergoing surgery on his throat last week. Mideast Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said there would be no progress in the peace process until the Palestinians crack down on armed factions, as defence chiefs threatened to resume military action against the movement behind a deadly suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. Mideast Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara rejected Israeli accusations that Damascus was involved in a deadly Tel Aviv bombing and said he did not rule out Israeli involvement in the attack. Vietnam A 69-year-old man has died of bird flu in Vietnam, the fourteenth fatality from the disease in the country this year, and another is in critical condition, health officials said. WHO A landmark treaty aimed at cutting deaths and illness caused by smoking came into force after 57 countries ratified international restrictions on tobacco producers and smokers, the World Health Organisation said. DRCongo A dangerous humanitarian crisis is looming in the Democratic Republic of Congo with sharply increasing unrest in the region of Ituri where nine UN soldiers were killed on Friday, the UN warned. Britain Two polls two months from British elections have given renewed hope to the Conservatives in their long, uphill battle to oust Prime Minister Tony Blair's Labour Party. Kyrgyzstan The ex-Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan held parliamentary polls seen as a test of democratic progress in the small Central Asian state, with nascent opposition groups dismissing President Askar Akayev's assurances that voting would be free and fair. Tajikistan Voters in Tajikistan went to the polls in legislative elections likely to be dominated by the ruling party of the Central Asia country scarred by civil war, as the head of the ex-Soviet republic called the ballot a first step toward building a democratic society. Oscars Hollywood polished its jewels and ironed its designer gowns ahead of the Oscars ceremony at which Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" hopes to shoot down Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator".