Vatican The Vatican was due to reveal fresh details of Pope John Paul II's condition, a week after the 84-year-old pontiff was rushed to hospital for a throat operation to relieve his breathing problems. Iraq Gunmen assassinated a judge serving on the tribunal set up to try Saddam Hussein, officials said, as suicide car bombers killed 10 people in attacks on an Iraqi army base and a checkpoint in Baghdad. Congo UN peacekeeping troops pressed an offensive against local militias in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo, after killing dozens in response to a murderous ambush, UN military leaders said. US American adventurer Steve Fossett has decided to continue his historic bid for the first solo non-refueled flight around the world despite loss of fuel, project managers announced. US US President George W. Bush turned up the diplomatic pressure and rhetoric against Syria, urging Damascus to withdrawl its troops from neighboring Lebanon and stressing there was no glint of daylight between Washington and Europe on the matter. Mideast Israel warned Mahmud Abbas of a bleak future unless he crushes militants, as the Palestinian leader hailed a new era of hope and pledged to build a viable state as soon as possible. Indonesia Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir, accused of leading an Al-Qaeda-linked group blamed for bombings across Asia, was jailed for two-and-a-half-years, at the end of his terrorism trial. Iran The United States cited "an alarming number" of unresolved questions about Iran's nuclear program and warned that the UN atomic agency cannot put off "forever" taking Tehran before the UN Security Council for possible sanctions. HongKong Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa looked set to resign, cutting short a turbulent eight-year tenure overshadowed by economic recession, policy gaffes and unease over China's interference. NKorea North Korea demanded that the United States apologise for calling it part of an "axis of evil" and an "outpost of tyranny", urging Washington to provide the right conditions for a return to six-party talks on its nuclear drive. China Up to 20 people, including children, were killed when explosives stored in the home of a mine operator blew up near a school in northern China, local officials and state press reported.