US US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that a preemptive strike against Iran was "not on the agenda at this point in time". UN A damning investigation condemned the head of the UN oil-for-food programme in Iraq over alleged underhand payments in a scandal that has tainted the image of the United Nations. Afghanistan The wreckage of an Afghan passenger jet that went missing in a snow storm with 104 people including at least 15 foreigners on board has been found, a western security official and a source close to the search told AFP. Vatican Pope John Paul II's condition has improved and he is eating regularly, Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said as the frail pontiff spent a third day in hospital. G7 Poverty in Africa, global economic growth and revaluation of China's currency were the issues expected to dominate a two-day meeting of top G7 finance ministers beginning here. Iraq A female Italian journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad and 38 people were killed in a 24-hour span as insurgent violence picked up once more after the country's landmark election. Mideast Israel said it was ready to "take risks" in its negotiations with the Palestinians but discord emerged over its offer to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Ukraine Ukraine's parliament confirmed Yulia Timoshenko for the post of prime minister, one day after delaying the vote amid backroom haggling for key cabinet positions in the country's new pro-Western government. Asia The number of people presumed dead in December's earthquake and tsunamis rose to more than 292,000, with Indonesian authorities announcing a further increase in the number of dead. Nepal Former Nepal prime minister Girija Prasad Koirala called on the country's citizens to take to the streets to restore democracy in the wake of King Gyanendra's seizure of power. Health A man who spent time in Britain was confirmed to be the first Japanese person to die from mad cow disease, but health authorities said there was no risk from meat in Japan. Colombia A fence-mending meeting between Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was postponed, after Uribe was taken to hospital suffering from an acute ear infection.