Israel – Lebanon: Israeli warplanes are pounding Lebanon for a seventh straight day, as Hezbollah rockets slam into the northern Israeli city of Haifa. Israeli medical sources say there were no injuries from today's (Tuesday's) barrage of Hezbollah rockets. A similar attack on Haifa Monday wounded at least five Israelis.
Israeli warplanes struck several targets in Lebanon early today, including an army camp near Beirut. Lebanese military officials say the air strike on the camp killed at least 10 soldiers and scores of others.
Israeli aircraft also hit targets both in northern and southern Lebanon as well as a southern suburb of Beirut, which is a Hezbollah stronghold.
Lebanon – Evacuation: Thousands of foreign nationals
are fleeing from Lebanon, as governments around the world intensify efforts to pull their citizens out of the battered country. A ship chartered by France carrying hundreds of French nationals arrived in Cyprus today (Tuesday).
The United States, Britain and Italy are preparing to evacuate their nationals. The U.S. and Britain have already airlifted people with special needs on a priority basis.
The U.S. Defense Department says several military helicopters and a cruise ship are being made available to evacuate thousands of stranded U.S. citizens.
Iraq: Iraqi authorities say a suicide car bomb explosion has killed at least 54 people in the predominantly Shi'ite southern city of Kufa.
Police say about 90 others were wounded today (Tuesday) when the bomber detonated his explosives-filled vehicle among a crowd of mostly Shi'ite day laborers waiting for work.
The attack took place near the city's grand mosque, where several Iranian pilgrims were killed in an attack earlier this month.
Indonesia – Tsunami: Indonesian officials say a tsunami that slammed into the southern coast of Java island has killed at least 337 people.
Many others are missing - hundreds are injured, and at least three thousand are homeless. An undersea earthquake generated a two-meter-high wave Monday. It destroyed buildings and sent people running for the hills on the coastline of West Java province.
A Red Cross Indonesia spokesman (Hadi Kuswoyo) told VOA a full-scale relief operation is under way there. Local emergency coordinators report at least 23 thousand people have evacuated the hard-hit Pangandaran Beach area.
China Storm: Flooding and landslides caused by Tropical Storm Bilis have killed at least 198 people across southern China.
China's official Xinhua news agency says 10 more deaths were reported today (Tuesday) in the southern region of Guangxi. More than 100 people are reported missing.
The storm also claimed lives in the provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang. Officials say more than two million million people have been evacuated in recent days.
China Central Television says nearly 12 million people have been affected.
Philippine Security: Philippines security forces are on heightened alert after intelligence reports warned of an alleged plot to topple President Gloria Arroyo. Police said today (Tuesday) the measures were taken to prevent a disruption at the president's Congressional address next week. Authorities say they have information that rebels from the New People's Army could be planning an attack.
Listen to our World News for details.