Iraq A half-brother of ousted president Saddam Hussein, accused of masterminding Iraq's deadly insurgency from neighboring Syria, has been arrested. Vatican Pope John Paul II made a surprise appearance at his hospital window, his first since undergoing surgery on his throat, waving to the applauding crowd outside and making the sign of the cross. Mideast Israel warned there would be no progress in the peace process until the Palestinians crack down on militants, threatening to halt the planned release of 400 prisoners in the aftermath of a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv. 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. Lebanon Two weeks after the assassination of ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, some 10,000 people massed in the streets of Beirut shouting "Syria out!" as the government faced a tough test in parliament where the opposition planned to present a censure motion to bring it down. Burundi Polling stations opened for Burundians to vote in a nationwide referendum on a constitution that proposes power-sharing between majority Hutus and minority Tutsis, to put a final end to an 11-year civil conflict that has claimed 300,000 lives. DRCongo A dangerous humanitarian crisis was looming in the Democratic Republic of Congo with sharply increasing unrest in the region of Ituri where nine UN soldiers were killed. 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. Oscars Clint Eastwood's boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" took the main Oscar prizes, dealing a knockout blow to fellow Hollywood heavyweight Martin Scorsese's lavish biopic "The Aviator".