Top news: The attack in Benghazi that killed Ambassador J Christopher Stephens and three other Americans was most likely planned in advance, according to U.S. and European officials, though the militants themselves claim to have been moved to action by an American-made film that depicts the Prophet Muhammad in a negative light.
Following the attack, President Obama vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice and dispatched an additional 50 Marines to the Libyan capital, Tripoli, to secure the U.S. Embassy. Obama also ordered U.S. personnel reduced to "emergency staffing levels" and sent two warships toward the Libyan coast as a precaution.
Libyan President Mohamed Magariaf apologized profusely for the attack: "We refuse that our nation's lands be used for cowardice and revengeful acts," he said. "We apologize to the United States, the people of America, and the entire world." His statements stand in stark contrast to the silence of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, who condemned only the American-made film after protesters overran the U.S. Embassy in Cairo.
Yemen: Angered by the same anti-Islamic film, protesters overran the U.S. Embassy compound in Sanaa and burned the American flag today. In the last 48 hours, U.S. missions have been attacked in Libya, Egypt, and Yemen and a large protest was dispursed outside the U.S. Embassy in the Tunisian capital, Tunis.
Middle East
- Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy will travel to Brussels on Thursday for his first visit to Europe since taking office in June.
- Tunisian police dispersed an anti-U.S. rally near the American Embassy in Tunis.
- Yemen's defence minister survived an assassination attempt in Sanaa, which left at least 11 others dead.
Africa
- Nigerian authorities seized automatic weapons and arrested 11 members of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram in an overnight raid.
- Seven people died in a suicide attack at the hotel where Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was staying in Mogadishu.
- A Kenyan MP was charged with inciting the tribal violence last month that left more than 100 people dead in the south-east Tana River region.
Asia
- A textile factory fire in Karachi, Pakistan killed almost 300 people Wednesday.
- The United States called for ''cooler heads to prevail'' in the dispute between China and Japan over islands in the East China Sea.
- Afghanistan banned YouTube in order to prevent citizens from watching the controversial film that sparked protests across the Middle East.
Americas
- Mexican police arrested Pozos Gonzalez, a man they believe is the leader of a criminal group called La Resistencia.
- Cuba said it will negotiate with the United States in order to resolve the case of jailed U.S. contractor Alan Gross.
- An arbitration panel ruled on Wednesday that Merrill Lynch must pay $3.6 million to a Brazilian heiress.
Europe
- Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev said the three members of Pussy Riot who were sentenced to prison last month should go free.
- The Greek parliament will vote on stiffer sentencing for hate crimes, following this year's surge in violence against immigrants.
- Prime Minister Mark Rutte was victorious in the Dutch elections as pro-European parties won a strong majority.
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