Iraq Twenty seven people, mostly Iraqi soldiers, were killed in a series of attacks as Bulgaria joined Italy in demanding answers from Washington over the death of one of its soldiers in Iraq. France Dissatisfied with Syria's pledge to redeploy its troops in Lebanon, France and the United States stepped up pressure on Damascus for a quick and complete withdrawal. US The White House rejected as "absurd" an Italian journalist's suggestion that US soldiers in Iraq deliberately tried to kill her as she made her way to safety after a month-long hostage ordeal. US US President George W. Bush named a self-confessed United Nations critic and a hardline diplomat, John Bolton, to be ambassador to the world body. Afghanistan A British citizen working as an advisor to the Afghan government has been shot dead in his car in a drive-by shooting in the embassy district of the Afghan capital, officials said. China China's parliament voted to accept the resignation of former supreme leader Jiang Zemin as chairman of the state Central Military Commission (CMC), formally ending his political career. Bolivia Bolivian President Carlos Mesa offered his resignation to Congress in exasperation at a series of social conflicts that he said were "strangling" the South American nation. Vatican Pope John Paul II's improving health means he should be out of hospital in less than two weeks, in time for Easter week celebrations, which begin on March 20, the Vatican said. Vietnam Seven Vietnamese patients who initially tested negative for bird flu have been found to be carrying the virus, the World Health Organisation said after further tests by a laboratory in Tokyo. Spain An international conference on terrorism is to open in Madrid, kicking off days of speeches and ceremonies marking the one-year anniversary of the train bombings in the city on March 11, 2004. France The last three French 'war on terror' detainees at the US Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba were returned to France and immediately detained as part of a terrorist investigation, officials said. Britain British government proposals to fight terrorism suffered a blow when the upper house of parliament voted to allow judges, not a cabinet minister, to impose restrictions including electronic tagging and curfews on suspects.