Iraq Two US soldiers were killed when insurgents shot down their helicopter as the Iraqi government sealed off Baghdad in a bid to quell mounting attacks on the capital. EU Germany ratified the EU constitution, but with opinion polls pointing to an easy win for the "no" camp in France's referendum, treaty supporters desperately targeted undecided voters on the last official day of campaigning. Pakistan A suicide bomber blew himself up in the middle of a crowd of Shiite Muslims at a shrine close to the Pakistani capital, killing at least 19 people and injuring dozens. UN A key UN non-proliferation conference has failed to agree on new steps to stem the spread of nuclear weapons. Pakistan Thousands of Islamic hardliners launched fresh protests across Pakistan after the United States admitted some guards at Guantanamo Bay had mishandled the Koran. EU The EU's executive commission has made a request for formal talks with Beijing over two types of textile imports from China. NKorea A food crisis on the scale of the mid-90s famine that is blamed for the deaths of millions in North Korea could occur again this year unless urgent action is taken, a UN humanitarian group said. Saudi Saudi Arabia's ailing King Fahd was hospitalised for medical examinations, the royal palace said. Russia Chechen rebel warlord Shamil Basayev claimed responsibility for the massive power outage that plunged the Russian capital into chaos earlier this week, in a statement published on a website close to Chechen separatists. Togo Members of the African Union's Peace and Security Council on Friday lifted sanctions imposed on Togo three months ago because of a power bid there, the AU announced after talks in Addis Ababa. Indonesia A young Australian woman was jailed for 20 years for smuggling drugs into Indonesia, prompting her country's prime minister to appeal for calm among her outraged supporters at home. Japan Japan was checking whether at least two elderly Japanese men found on a Philippine island plagued by an Islamic insurgency were soldiers left behind from World War II who were unaware of Tokyo's surrender.