Ukraine Ukraine's opposition demanded that the government "urgently" enact changes to the electoral law in order to set a date for a rerun of the second round presidential poll. Russia The crisis in Ukraine will not be resolved by Russia, the European Union or any other outsiders but can be solved only by the people of Ukraine themselves, Russian President Vladimir Putin said as held crisis talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Leonid Kuchma. Iraq The United States announced plans to boost its forces in Iraq to the highest level since the invasion, as Prime Minister Iyad Allawi headed to Europe to rally support for next month's crucial elections and to seek more debt relief. Mideast The Palestinian leadership was in turmoil after jailed intifada leader Marwan Barghuti entered the presidential campaign, pitting himself against PLO chairman Mahmud Abbas and eight other candidates. Mideast Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he was willing to meet Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on "certain conditions" but that he saw no real sign Damascus was serious about wanting peace. Bosnia The European Union launched its biggest military operation when it took over peacekeeping duties in Bosnia from NATO, nine years after the bloody inter-ethnic war in the former Yugoslav republic. DRCongo Rwanda formally denied having deployed troops in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) but reiterated its threat to intervene to defend itself against Rwandan Hutu rebels based there. Philippines Nearly 1,000 people are dead or missing after a storm triggered landslides and floods in the Philippines this week, rescuers said as a new and even more powerful deadly typhoon approached the main island of Luzon. Sweden Sweden's Supreme Court sentenced the killer of Swedish foreign minister Anna Lindh to life in prison, ending nearly 15 months of uncertainty over one of the country's most high-profile murder cases. Britain The dollar tumbled to new all-time lows against the euro, a 12-year nadir against sterling and a near five-year trough against the yen, buckling under the weight of the US twin deficits. India Russia on Thursday agreed to expand its role in a joint project to build a sophisticated cruise missile with India and assured steady supplies of military spare parts to its largest customer and old Cold War ally. Zimbabwe Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe ruled out any regime change in this southern African country as his ruling ZANU-PF holds a crucial congress to renew the party's leadership. DRCongo Thousands of civilians were fleeing clashes near the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo town of Goma between Rwandan Hutu rebels and unidentified opponents, a senior UN official told AFP.