Top story: Just a day after a coordinated suicide attack that killed 36 people at three Baghdad hotels, another blast hit the city center this morning, killing 17 outside the forensics department of the interior ministry.
Yesterday's blasts targeted hotels that cater to foreign businessmen and journalists and were to host international observers for the country's March 7 parliamentary elections. Today's bombing targeted one of the interior ministry's most exposed sites and many of the casualties were police officers. The two bombings seem to confirm authorities fears that insurgents are accelerating their campaign in order to undermine security ahead of the elections.
Haiti: Meeting in Montreal on Monday, international donors agreed on a 10-year commitment to rebuild earthquake-damaged Haiti's public institutions. Haitian Prime Minister Rene Preval, who has not formally addressed his country since the earthquake hit, wrote a written plea asking for 200,000 family-size tents and 1.5 million food rations.
Afghanistan: Representatives of more than 60 countries are meeting in London today to discuss new strategy's to win the war in Afghanistan. Britain and Japan have agreed on a plan to establish a fund for luring Taliban fighters away from the insurgency.
Asia
* Sri Lankans head to the polls today for the first presidential election since the end of the country's 26-year civil war.
* Five opposition lawmakers resigned in Hong Kong to pressure Beijing to allow direct elections.
* Reports suggest North Korea may be planning a new missile launch.
Middle East
* Former Saddam aide "Chemical Ali" Hassan Majid was hanged for his role in the gassing of Kurdish towns in the late 1980s.
* Iran's government has called for the extradition of those it says are responsible for the murder of nuclear scientist Massoud Ali-Mohammed.
* Yemen says it will not allow foreign military operation against al Qaeda on its soil.
Americas
* Venezuelan Vice President Ramon Carrizalez, who was also defense minister, has resigned over disagreements with President Hugo Chavez.
* Thousands of leftist activists have gathered for the annual World Social Forum in Brazil.
* Breaking from other Latin American governments, El Salvador plans to recognize Honduras's new government when Porfirio Lobo is sworn into office tomorrow.
Europe
* As a French government panel will recommend banning the wearing of burqas in public buildings.
* The prime ministers of Britain and the Republic of Ireland are in talks with Northern Ireland's major political parties to preserve a fracturing unity government.
* Germany plans to increase its force in Afghanistan by 500 troops.
Africa
* More than 300 people were arrested for involvement in last week's religious violence in Nigeria.
* Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf plans to run for reelection despite an earlier pledge to only serve one term.
* The EU has agreed to help train Somali troops to fight the country's insurgency.
AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images
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