AFGHANISTAN: Afghan authorities say a suicide bomber has killed 21 police officers in southern Afghanistan.
The police chief of Uruzgan province (Juma Gul Hemat) says the bomber entered a police training center in the provincial capital (Tirin Kot) today (Monday) dressed in a police uniform. He then blew himself up among the other officers.
At least eight police officers were wounded.
Taliban insurgents have claimed responsibility for the attack in southern Afghanistan, which is the center of their insurgency.
On Sunday, Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan claimed responsibility for
a suicide car bombing that wounded at least two Afghans in the capital,
Kabul.
PAKISTAN: Pakistani police say gunmen have abducted an American citizen working with the United Nations refugee agency.
Police say the gunman attacked U.N. official John Solecki and his driver today (Monday)
in the southwestern city of Quetta as they were traveling to work.
Officials say the driver was wounded in the attack and later died.
It was not immediately clear who is responsible for the attack. Authorities are investigating the incident
SRI LANKA: International aid groups say nine people were killed in Sri Lanka when
one of the only hospitals in a northeastern war zone was shelled at
least twice.
The International Red Cross says the hospital was struck late Sunday.
The group did not say which side was responsible for the attack, but a
local health official said the Sri Lankan army fired the shells.
Journalists and independent monitors are barred from the conflict area.
BURMA-UN: Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi told a special U.N. envoy today (Monday) that U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon should not visit the country until she and all other political prisoners are released.
The Nobel peace laureate met with Ibrahim Gambari today during his
mission to advance talks on national reconciliation in Burma.
A spokesman for Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party (, Nyan Win,)
said the democracy leader also criticized harsh prison sentences handed
down to more than 250 dissidents, and the arrest of defense lawyers.
SUPER BOWL: The Pittsburgh Steelers scored with just 35 second left (late Sunday) to beat the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, to win the (U.S.) National Football League's championship game - the Super Bowl.
Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger tossed the winning (six-yard) touchdown to Santonio Holmes on a superb catch in the corner of the end zone (in Tampa, Florida).
