NEW THIS DIGEST:
— PHILIPPINES-HOSTAGES KILLED: 35 slain killed in election massacre
— US-AFGHANISTAN: Obama's decision on Afghan troops expected soon
— BRAZIL-IRAN: Brazil's president urges West to work with Iran.
— US-INDIA: US, India work to resolve difference during Washington state visit
— CLIMATE '09-CO2 OFF THE CHARTS. Global warming gases up to record levels
— GERMANY-GM-OPEL. GM Europe says Opel plant in Bochum, Germany to stay open
— BRITAIN-BANKS. Lloyds reveals details of $22.3 billion rights issue
— HIV REPORT. Number of people with HIV worldwide remained unchanged for 2 years
— BRITAIN-IRAQ INQUIRY. Britain investigates buildup to Iraq war
— CHINA-TAINTED MILK. Two people executed for roles in tainted milk powder scandal
— CAMBODIA-KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL. Long jail term urged for Khmer Rouge prison chief
TOP STORIES:
PHILIPPINES-HOSTAGES KILLED
MANILA, Philippines — Gunmen ambush a caravan of political supporters and journalists on their way to file election papers, killing at least 35 people in a massacre considered shocking even for a region notorious for violence between rival clans. Developing By Hrvoje Hranjski. Moved. AP Photos. AP Graphic.
US-AFGHANISTAN
WASHINGTON — The White House braces for a tough sell of President Barack Obama's long-awaited decision on whether to commit tens of thousands of new U.S. forces to the stalemated war in Afghanistan, even as the president meets with top advisers for possibly the last major deliberations before an announcement. By Anne Gearan and Jennifer Loven.
US-INDIA
WASHINGTON — Behind the elaborate ceremony of the Indian prime minister's state visit, Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama will be working to smooth over differences on climate change and U.S. ties with Indian rivals China and Pakistan.Moved. By Foster Klug.
CAMBODIA-KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Prosecutors in the genocide trial of a former Khmer Rouge prison chief demanded a lengthy jail term Tuesday, calling him the personification of ruthless efficiency in the killing of thousands of Cambodian prisoners. By Sopheng Cheang And Luke Hunt.
AP Photos HS108, HS110, HS109.
BRAZIL-IRAN
BRASILIA, Brazil — Iran's leader got a welcoming bear hug from the Brazilian president, who urged Western nations to drop threats of punishment over the Iranian nuclear program and instead negotiate a fair solution. By Alan Clendenning.
AP Photos BSB102, BSB104, BSB117, XAP103.
CHINA-DISSIDENT
BEIJING — A veteran dissident is sentenced to three years in prison after casting a spotlight on poorly built schools that collapsed and killed thousands of children during China's massive earthquake last year — an apparent government attempt to squelch such information. Moved. By Christopher Bodeen.
AP Photos.
CHINA-TAINTED MILK
BEIJING — China executed two people Tuesday for their roles in a tainted milk powder scandal in which at least six children died and more than 300,000 became sick.
CLIMATE '09-CO2 OFF THE CHARTS
MAUNA LOA OBSERVATORY, Hawaii — The readings at this 2-mile-high (3-kilometer-high) station show an upward curve as the world counts down to climate talks: Global warming gases have built up to record levels in the atmosphere, from emissions that match scientists' worst-case scenarios. By John Heilprin.
AP Photos NY442, NY444, NY443, NY441, NY440, NY445, NY439, NY438, NY437, GFX102. AP Graphics CO2 EMISSIONS, CLIMATE LOGO.
HIV REPORT
GENEVA — The number of people worldwide infected with the virus that causes AIDS — about 33 million — has remained virtually unchanged for the last two years, United Nations experts say. Medical Writer Maria Cheng.
BRITAIN-IRAQ INQUIRY
LONDON — In the most sweeping inquiry by any nation involved in the Iraq war, a panel investigating Britain's role in the conflict begins questioning witnesses Tuesday in hearings that critics hope will humble former Prime Minister Tony Blair and expose alleged deception in the buildup to conflict. By David Stringer.
INTERNATIONAL COURT-CONGO
THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The International Criminal Court starts its second trial Tuesday, focusing on a massacre that left more than 200 people dead and laid waste to their village in eastern Congo in 2003. By Mike Corder.
FORT HOOD SHOOTING
FORT WORTH, Texas — An Army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people during an attack on his Texas post will likely plead not guilty to the charges against him and may use an insanity defense at his military trial, his attorney said. By Angela K. Brown.
INTERNATIONAL EMMYS
NEW YORK — Julie Walters and Ben Whishaw are among five British winners of International Emmys. Walters gets best actress honors for "A Short Stay in Switzerland," portraying a doctor with an incurable disease who seeks assisted suicide. Whishaw takes home the best actor award for "Criminal Justice" about a young man accused of murder. By Charles J. Gans.
AP Photos.
BELGIUM-COMA RECOVERY
BRUSSELS — His mind fully alive, Rom Houben was trapped in his body, unable to cry out or communicate in any way — for 23 years. The car-crash victim was thought to be in a coma-like state but was actually conscious the whole time. Finally, an expert using brain scans realized it, and unlocked Houben's mind by teaching him to communicate with a special keyboard. By Raf Casert.
AP photos pursuing.
SOMALIA-FACE OF WAR
NAIROBI, Kenya — The bullet hit mother and son as they walked through Somalia's capital. She felt a sharp pain in her palm. Two months later, 8-year-old Ahmed Mohamed Mohamoud's nose is a small hole. His mouth is always open because he has no upper lip and his right eye is gone. He can barely speak. His is a lost face of Somalia's war. By Malkhadir M. Muhumed And Mohamed Sheikh Noor.
AP Photos.
BUSINESS & FINANCE:
BRITAIN-BANKS
LONDON — Lloyds Banking Group PLC reveals details of a 13.5 billion pounds ($22.3 billion) rights issue designed to enable it to maintain a level of independence from British government control. Developing.
GERMANY-GM-OPEL
DUESSELDORF, Germany — The new head of GM Europe has made clear that the company plans to keep open an Opel plant in Bochum, Germany even as it works to cut some 20 percent of overall capacity.
CHINA-SHANGHAI DISNEY
SHANGHAI — China's economic planning agency says it has approved a proposal to build a Disney theme park in Shanghai. The National Development and Reform Commission said the park would be built as planned in Shanghai's eastern Pudong district. It gave no other details about the project.
CHINESE DRYWALL
WEST PALM BEACH, Florida — The federal government says it has found a "strong association" between problematic imported Chinese drywall and corrosion of pipes and wires, a conclusion that supports complaints by thousands of U.S. homeowners over the last year. By Brian Skoloff.
AP Photo.
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