Indonesia Suicide bombers staged the deadly Bali blasts which killed at least 26 people and wounded more than 120, Indonesia said as its anti-terror chief blamed Islamic militants linked to Al-Qaeda for the attacks. EU The European Union launched a last-ditch bid to break a deadlock threatening landmark negotiations with Turkey, but admitted "considerable difficulties" remained in resolving the standoff. Iraq US forces backed by fighter aircraft and helicopter gunships killed eight insurgents in an offensive along the Syrian border aimed at improving security ahead of the vote on the country's post-Saddam Hussein constitution. Vatican Pope Benedict XVI opened a three-week meeting of over 250 Roman Catholic bishops at the Vatican, telling the synod it was "hypocritical" to exclude religion from public life. Germany Voters in the German city of Dresden were casting the last ballots in the inconclusive national election in what could offer a breakthrough in a bitter power struggle over who will be the next chancellor. Mideast Israel suspended an offensive against militants in the Gaza Strip, including targeted killings, as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas agreed to meet in the near future. Iraq Five judges have been chosen for the much-anticipated trial this month of toppled Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein over the massacre of Shiite Muslim villagers in 1982, a source close to the court said. France Tensions remained high on the French island of Corsica after more violence overnight sparked by the row over privatisation of a state-owned ferry company, but thousands of tourists finally managed to leave for the mainland. Taiwan Typhoon Longwang struck China's southeastern coast, Chinese state media said, after the cyclone churned across Taiwan, leaving one dead and dozens injured. Ethiopia After a tense week of antagonism and threats, Ethiopia's government and opposition leaders held their first face-to-face talks in months in an internationally-mediated bid to defuse a volatile political fracas.