INDIA BLAST: The death toll in the firebombing of a train from India to Pakistan rose to 68 today (Tuesday), after a hospitalized victim succumbed to massive burns. At a news conference Tuesday, police released sketches of two suspects and showed reporters two bottles of kerosene and a small digital clock recovered from the scene of the attack. News reports earlier in the day said one person has been detained in connection with the attack. Pakistan and India have condemned the bombing, but said it will not affect the peace process between the two countries.
IRAQ: Iraqi security officials say two car bomb explosions in Baghdad have killed at least 10 people and wounded several others. Officials say the first explosion occurred in a southern part of the capital, killing at least five people and injuring more than 10 others. Shortly afterwards, another five people were killed and seven wounded when a car bomb exploded in a market in the nearby Dora district. In the town of Taji, north of Baghdad, an explosion on a truck carrying fuel containers killed five people. Scores of people became sick after inhaling what officials suspect were toxic fumes. The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.
JAPAN-US CHENEY: U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney has arrived in Japan for talks about Asian security and the global war on terrorism. Cheney is expected to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other top officials in Tokyo today (Tuesday). Cheney will not be meeting with Japanese Defnese Minister Fumio Kyuma who recently criticized Washington's decision to invade Iraq. A senior U.S. administration official says the two sides likely will discuss North Korea's recent agreement to begin closing its nuclear facilities. He said the parties may consider ways to move the process forward.
INDONESIA-EARTHQUAKE: A strong undersea earthquake near Indonesia panicked residents of the Maluku islands after prompting a brief tsunami warning. People fled their homes for higher ground today (Tuesday) after a six-point-five magnitude earthquake struck off northeastern Indonesia at a depth of about 30 kilometers. Officials say the threat of a tsunami has passed. It was not immediately clear whether the earthquake caused any injuries or significant damage to buildings.
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