ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS: Israel's military says ground troops backed by helicopter gunships have killed at least nine Palestinian gunmen in a major operation in northern Gaza. Israeli troops entered the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun before dawn today (Wednesday) and exchanged fire with Palestinian militants. The military operation is the largest Israel has carried out in Gaza since militants captured an Israeli soldier (Gilad Shalit) in a cross-border raid four months ago.
NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR: South Korea and Japan have welcomed North Korea's decision to return to multilaterial talks on its nuclear program but say they will continue to enforce sanctions imposed on Pyongyang after its nucear test. South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan warned today (Wednesday) that U.N. sanctions on North Korea will only be lessened if the six-nation talks are productive in eliminating Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities.
ASIA TYPHOON: Typhoon Cimaron is gaining strength in the South China Sea as it edges closer to the coast of southern China. Forecasters had originally predicted the storm would head west toward Vietnam, but Cimaron changed course and moved in a northwesterly direction Tuesday. It now has maximum winds of about 155 kilometers an hour.
THAILAND-SOUTH: The leader of Thailand's coup says establishing peace in the country's volatile southern provinces will take time. Army General Sondhi Boonyaratglin today (Wednesday) said the unrest in three mainly Muslim provinces can not be changed overnight because it has been ignored for decades. He says a time frame should not be set for the peace process.
IRAQ: Iraqi officials say the death toll from a suicide car bomb attack on a Shi'ite wedding in Baghdad on Tuesday has risen to 23. Nine children were among those killed in the blast, which occurred outside a house in northern Baghdad as wedding guests gathered for a reception.
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