Suicide truck bomb kills civilian, wounds 22 in N Iraq
A suicide truck bomb struck the house of an Iraqi tribal leader in a town near the city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh province, on Tuesday, killing a civilian and wounding 22 others, a provincial police source said. Abdul Razzaq al-Wagga’, head of the Jubour tribe, and his wife, escaped with injuries when a suicide bomber drove a truck loaded with explosives into their house in the town of Qaiyarah, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Iraqi forces arrest 2 Sadrists leaders
BAGHDAD - Iraqi security forces arrested two locally prominent supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr on Wednesday as part of their crackdown against Shiite militias in the southern city of Amarah, police and an al-Sadr spokesman said.

Hezbollah said to train Shiite militiamen in Iraq
BAGHDAD - Hezbollah instructors trained Shiite militiamen at remote camps in southern Iraq until three months ago when they slipped across the border to Iran — presumably to continue instruction on Iranian soil, according to two Shiite lawmakers and a top army officer.

Palestinian goes on rampage in Jerusalem; 3 killed
JERUSALEM - A Palestinian man plowed an enormous construction vehicle into cars, buses and pedestrians on a busy street Wednesday, killing at least three people and wounding at least 45 before he was shot dead by security officers.

Iran foreign minister dismisses threat of attack
NEW YORK - Iran’s foreign minister dismisses the threat of an attack against his country, saying the U.S. isn’t in a position to open a second front in the Middle East and Israel has too much political turmoil.

Iran ’seriously considering’ new international nuclear offer
UNITED NATIONS — Iran’s senior diplomat said Tuesday that Tehran was seriously considering a new offer from six world powers to resolve the dispute over its nuclear program, and he praised the package as “constructive.”

Suicide bomber targets Afghan governor
KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide bomber targeting an Afghan governor killed four people Wednesday, while a U.S.-led coalition helicopter crew escaped without serious injury after being shot down south of the capital, officials said.

Pakistani forces arrest 10 suspected militants
BARA, Pakistan - Heavily armed paramilitary troops blocked roads into a tribal town in northwestern Pakistan and patrolled its deserted bazaar Wednesday as an operation against Islamic militants rolled into its fifth day with more arrests but no sign of fighting.

11 rebels, 1 soldier killed in clashes in Kashmir
SRINAGAR, India - Eleven suspected Islamic militants and one Indian soldier died in gunbattles in India’s portion of Kashmir this week, an army spokesman said Wednesday.

India’s Economy Hits the Wall
Growth is slipping, stocks are down 40%, and foreign stock market investors are fleeing. Businessmen blame the ruling coalition for failing to make reforms

India government seeks support for US nuke deal
NEW DELHI - India’s government made a last-ditch effort to win the support of a regional party Wednesday for a civilian nuclear deal with the United States that it hopes to complete before a new administration takes over in Washington.

Chinese party boss delivers attack on Dalai Lama
BEIJING - China’s Communist Party boss in Tibet delivered a fresh attack on the Dalai Lama Wednesday, even as envoys of the region’s exiled leader met with Chinese officials for more talks toward easing tensions following anti-government riots.

Heavy security in Mongolia after riots
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia - Rifle-toting soldiers patrolled the streets and armored vehicles guarded intersections in Mongolia’s capital Wednesday, the start of a four-day state of emergency triggered by riots over alleged election fraud in which at least five people died.

Malaysia’s Anwar vows to seize power soon
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has vowed to seize power soon, stepping up his campaign against the government as he fights an accusation of sodomizing a young worker in his office.

Flaherty cautious on economy: report
TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he was concerned that economic weakness in the United States, his country’s top trading partner, could hold back the domestic economy in the coming months, a news service reported on Tuesday.

Police ‘torture’ videos cause uproar in Mexico
MEXICO CITY, Mexico (AP) — Videos showing Leon police practicing torture techniques on a fellow officer and dragging another through vomit at the instruction of a U.S. adviser created an uproar Tuesday in Mexico, which has struggled to eliminate torture in law enforcement.

AP IMPACT: Rebels desert as Colombia army advances
VILLAVICENCIO, Colombia - Not long after two top commanders of Latin America’s last major rebel army were killed — one in a raid, the other by a turncoat bodyguard — Diego Canizares decided to call it quits.

Chavez: Agreement near on Sidor takeover
SAN MIGUEL DE TUCUMAN, Argentina - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said Tuesday his government is close to a compensation deal for the nationalization of Venezuela’s largest steelmaker, Sidor.

Anti-Chavez Venezuelan general is released
CARACAS, Venezuela - An army general protesting the “socialism or death” motto of President Hugo Chavez has been released from military detention, but still could be charged with a crime, his attorney said Wednesday.

Truckers in fresh protest over fuel taxes
LONDON (AFP) - Truck drivers converged again on London Wednesday to protest against the amount of fuel tax slapped on diesel, which they say is running them off the road.

Britain bans military wing of Hezbollah
LONDON - Britain’s Home Office banned the entire military wing of Hezbollah on Wednesday in a rebuke over the Lebanese Shiite group’s alleged role supporting militants in Iraq.

Rights group slams French law on terror suspects
PARIS - A Human Rights Watch report released Wednesday said France’s legal framework for prosecuting terror suspects is too broad, resulting in too many arrests based on minimal evidence and too many convictions based on circumstantial evidence.

Dozens of Al Qaeda suspects arrested in Morocco: agency
RABAT (AFP) - Thirty-five alleged recruiters for Al-Qaeda operations in Algeria and Iraq were arrested by police in Morocco, where they are also accused of planning attacks, the Moroccan news agency said Wednesday.

Zimbabwe opposition rejects unity government call
HARARE (AFP) - Zimbabwe’s opposition leader on Wednesday rejected calls to form a national unity government, saying it would not solve the country’s crisis after Robert Mugabe’s widely condemned one-man election.

US resolution calls for sanctions against Mugabe
UNITED NATIONS - A U.S. draft resolution calls for sanctions against Zimbabwe’s president and demands that his government immediately begin talks with the opposition.