IRAQ: Iraqi officials say several explosions have rocked central Baghdad, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 130 others. At least five bombs have destroyed several apartment buildings and a restaurant in the Allawi district Tuesday. Media reports say people are trapped under the rubble. An Interior Ministry official says a suicide bomber also struck near the former British Embassy. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, but Baghdad's security spokesman has blamed the attacks on al-Qaida.
<!-- IMAGE -->INDIA - MAOISTS: Indian police say suspected Maoist rebels have ambushed and killed at least 72 paramilitary police in central India.
A patrol of more than 100 policemen was attacked in the state of Chattisgarh early Tuesday.
Officials say the Maoists used guns and landmines against the police.
The officials say the patrol was meant to reinforce police who had come
under attack in the area earlier.
Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the security forces seem to have walked into a "trap." He called the attack "savage."
The attack is the deadliest by Maoists since the government began an offensive against the rebels last year.
US NUCLEAR STRATEGY: U.S. President Barack Obama is expected to announce a new nuclear strategy Tuesday that will narrow the conditions under which the United States might use nuclear weapons. The U.S. Congress requires each new administration to release a plan for use of nuclear weapons. In an interview with The New York Times Monday, Mr. Obama said his new policy would be part of a broader effort to work toward a nuclear weapons-free world. The newspaper said the new policy would renounce the development of new weapons and, for the first time, explicitly say the United States will not use nuclear weapons against non-nuclear countries that are in compliance with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
<!-- IMAGE -->THAILAND PROTEST: Thousands of anti-government protesters broke through police and military lines in Bangkok's tourist center Tuesday to flood into other zones declared off limits to demonstrators in the Thai capital. Thai riot police had temporarily blocked the so-called Red Shirts from spreading out from Bangkok's upscale shopping district, where demonstrations have brought travel and commerce to a halt the past four days. One of the Red Shirt leaders (Nattawut Saikua) told the crowd the protesters will now go on the offensive. A police detective (, who asked not to be named,) told reporters security personnel will avoid using force.
<!-- IMAGE -->CAMBODIA - PROPERTY: Cambodia's parliament has approved a law allowing foreigners to buy real estate in the country, as long as the property is above the ground floor. The draft law will permit foreigners to buy apartments and office buildings, but not own the land beneath them. The law was approved Monday by a vote of 85-to-11. It will take effect after gaining approval by Cambodia's Senate and King Norodom Sihamoni. Under the old rules, foreigners could only purchase property by pairing with a Cambodian national. Land Management Minister Im Chhun Lim told lawmakers Monday that the law will help attract foreign buyers and increase investment in the country.
<!-- IMAGE -->SOMALIA PIRATES: A South Korean warship has caught up in the Indian Ocean with a
hijacked supertanker carrying more than $160 million worth of crude
oil.
South Korean officials said Tuesday the destroyer was staying close to
the South Korean-operated, Singapore-owned Samho Dream as it headed
toward the Somali coast.
The warship is part of an international anti-piracy force. Officials
have not said how they plan to use it now that it is near the seized
tanker.
The Samho Dream was on its way from Iraq to the United
States when it was seized by Somali pirates Sunday about 1,500
kilometers off the Somali coast.
WEST VIRGINIA MINE: Officials in the eastern U.S. state of West Virginia say 25 coal miners
are dead and four others are missing after an explosion at a coal mine.
Federal mine safety official Kevin Stricklin said early Tuesday rescue
workers had halted operations temporarily because of high
concentrations of dangerous gases. They plan to drill boreholes in the
area as vents so the rescue workers can resume their search.
Stricklin said there is little hope there are any survivors. He said
the amount of methane in the mine indicated a second explosion possibly
occurred.
AFGHANISTAN: Afghan lawmakers say President Hamid Karzai used a closed meeting to lash out at Western critics of his government.
The Afghan leader is reported to have said the Taliban will become a
"legitimate resistance movement" if outside meddling in Afghan affairs
continues.
The lawmakers say Mr. Karzai also suggested he might join the Taliban if outside pressure does not stop.
Several members of the Afghan parliament say Mr. Karzai made the
comments Saturday during a private meeting with a group of lawmakers.
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