France France goes to the polls for a historic referendum on the EU constitution, one that could send shockwaves through the country and the European Union if voters reject the treaty as predicted. Lebanon Polling stations opened in Beirut on the first round of Lebanon's first general elections free of Syrian presence in three decades, with the anti-Damascus opposition assured victory. Indonesia Indonesian police were hunting for those responsible for a marketplace bombing that killed 22 people on the island of Sulawesi amid fears the attack could ignite tinderbox sectarian tensions. Iraq Insurgents released a video showing a bloodied body, apparently of a Japanese hostage, while a triple suicide car bombing at an army base killed six Iraqis, underscoring the continued intensity of Iraq's insurgency. Iran Iranian reformist politician Mostafa Moin, who was given last-minute approval to stand in next month's presidential election, announced that he would indeed stand as a candidate. Sudan UN Secretary General Kofi Annan urged immediate action to end the Darfur crisis in Sudan after hearing accounts of destruction and abuse during a visit which he described as "heart-wrenching". Japan-Philippines Philippine rebels are demanding 232,000 dollars in ransom for the return of two elderly Japanese soldiers believed to have been hiding in the jungle since the end of World War II, a daily said. Ethiopia Ethiopia's ruling coalition and its allied parties hung on to an absolute majority in the 547-seat parliament, but the opposition made major gains in the May 15 elections, according to provisional results. Saudi King Fahd, ruler of oil powerhouse Saudi Arabia, was to undergo more tests after remaining hospitalized with a lung ailment as worries about his health sent crude prices higher and authorities insisted there was no cause for concern. DRCongo-Rwanda Some 6,000 people have fled their villages in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after the machete massacre of 19 people and the abduction of 50 others by an armed band, a UN spokesman said.