Iraq Iraqi officials said they were close to capturing their top enemy, Al-Qaeda frontman Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, as the country went on high alert to foil insurgent efforts to wreck historic elections. Iraq Iraqis go to the polls in a war-like atmosphere of blast walls, razor wire and curfews to select a national assembly that could change the course of the country's history. Iraq Thousands of expatriate Iraqis cast ballots in their country's first free election for over half a century, with emotions running high among voters despite the relatively limited numbers taking part. Asia Religious intolerance could derail crucial relief efforts in tsunami-hit Asian nations, US groups warned amid isolated reports of proselytizing in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and India. China The first Chinese plane to fly non-stop to Taiwan since the two sides spilt in 1949 after a civil war departed, carrying Taiwanese businesspeople home for the Lunar New Year holidays. US Aerospace giant Boeing scored a major victory against European rival Airbus with a blockbuster deal to sell 60 of its new 787 "Dreamliner" passenger jets to Chinese airlines. Northern Ireland British Prime Minister Tony Blair warned Northern Ireland's biggest Catholic party "in the starkest terms" that its paramilitary wing must end criminal activities after being blamed for a massive bank raid last month. Asia Peace negotiators for the Indonesian government and the main rebel group in the Aceh province sat down together in Helsinki to hammer out a lasting ceasefire for the region hardest hit by last month's tsunami disaster. Mideast Israel announced an end to offensive operations in Gaza after 2,000 Palestinian troops were deployed in the south and centre of the territory with orders to halt rocket attacks. US Michael Jackson's teenage sex abuse accuser must face the superstar in open court, a judge ruled, just three days ahead of the start of the pop icon's explosive trial.