Top story: U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Karl Eikenberry has expressed reservations about deploying additional troops to the country. In cables sent to the White House last week, Eikenberry warned that sending new troops would be unwise because of the corruption and weakness of Hamid Karzai's government.
Eikenberry, a retired general, oversaw the Afghan military mission from 2006 to 2007 and is one of the only senior military figures to express opposition to a troop increase. His advice puts him at odds with Gen. Stanley McChrystal, his successor as military commander in Afghanistan, who believes that an additional 40,000 troops are required to stabilize the country.
President Obama reportedly asked Eikenberry about his reservations during a meeting with his national security advisors yesterday. Obama is expected to announce a decision on Afghan troop levels after he returns from Asia next week.
Media: CNN host Lou Dobbs, known in recent years for his staunch anti-immigration views, has resigned from the network.
Asia
- North Korea has promised to punish the south for this week's naval skirmish.
- Visiting the Philippines, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged support for the country's fight against Islamist insurgents.
- An employee of the Iranian consulate in Peshawar was murdered by gunmen.
Middle East
- Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah lashed out at President Obama, accusing him of bias toward Israel.
- Israel has charged an American-born West Bank settler with murdering Palestinians and attackers left-wingers and gays.
- Yemen urged Iran and Saudi Arabia to stay out of its fight with Houthi rebels.
Europe
- The British government is planning to hand over control of Afghanistan's Helmand province to Afghan authorities over the next eight months.
- Eleven suspected terrorists have gone on trial in Spain for an alleged plot to attack the Barcelona subway system.
- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev called on Russia to modernize its economy in his annual address to parliament.
Americas
- Colombia has challenged Hugo Chavez's threats of war in the U.N. security council.
- Brazil has ordered an inquiry into the causes of Tuesday's blackout.
- Business groups in Mexico's Ciudad Juarez are calling for UN peacekeepers to stop the city's drug violence.
Africa
- Libya has begun repatriating Tuareg rebels to Niger as part of an amnesty deal.
- A judge with a reputation for jailing pirates was shot dead in Somalia.
- Africa needs $93 billion in infrastructure development over the next decade, says the World Bank.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
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