Top story: A bombing killed 19 people including three government ministers in Somalia's worst terrorist attack in months. The bomber struck a graduation ceremony for a local college being held at a hotel. Somalia's health minister, education minister, and higher education minister were all killed in the attack.
The Shamo hotel, where the attack took place, is located in the small area of Mogadishu under direct control of the central government and is just 1 km from the base of the African Union peacekeeping force.
Suspicion for the attack immediately focused on the al Qaeda-affiliated al Shabaab militia group, which also killed 17 African Union peacekeepers with a car bomb in September and 30 people, including Somalia's security minister, at another hotel bombing in June. At least 19,000 Somalis have been killed by fighting since 2007.
Gridlock: A meeting in Geneva of the World Trade Organizations 153 members concluded with no progress on the stalled Doha Round.
Middle East
- West Bank settlers are defying an order to freeze new construction from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Iran's parliament says it will review its relations with countries that voted against it in the IAEA.
- The United Nations is urging Iraq to hold new elections by the end of February.
Asia
- Thousands of new unmarked graves have been discovered by human rights groups in Kashmir.
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A Chinese court ordered five more death sentences in connection with last summer's rioting in Xinjiang.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai pormised to "spare no effort" to help implement President Obama's new strategy.
Americas
- Honduras's congress voted against reinstating Manuel Zelaya as president.
- A U.S. court sentenced the head of Mexico's Juarez drug cartel to 27 years in prison for cocaine trafficking.
- Paraguay accidentally named an illegal U.S. immigrant to run its consulate in New York.
Europe
- Italy's defense minister suggested the country could add as many as 1,000 new troops to its deployment in Afghanistan.
- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin vowed to step up Russia's campaign against terrorism after last week's train bombing.
- Serbian security forces raided the homes of several people accused of helping the fugitive war crimes suspect Ratko Mladic.
Africa
- Nigerian diplomat Ibrahim Gambari -- currently U.N. envoy to Burma -- will take over international peacekeeping effort in Darfur.
- A Dutch warship arrested 13 Somali pirates attempting to board a cargo ship near Oman.
- A group of prominent Nigerian citizens has called for President Umaru Yar'Adua to step down due to poor health.
YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images
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