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NEW THIS DIGEST:

NIGERIA-ELECTIONS. Court rules on whether Nigeria president's election victory should be re-run.

ISRAEL-KATSAV. High court upholds Katsav plea deal.

UN-VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. UN campaigns to end attacks on women.

TOP STORIES:

NKOREA-NY PHILHARMONIC

PYONGYANG, North Korea _ The New York Philharmonic brings musical diplomacy to the heart of communist North Korea in a historic concert before the communist nation's elite, playing a program highlighting American music in the nuclear-armed country that considers the U.S. its mortal enemy. Moved. By Burt Herman.

NIGERIA-ELECTIONS

ABUJA, Nigeria _ A court is to rule whether Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua's election victory should be annulled because of rigging charges. Developing. By Edward Harris.

ISRAEL-KATSAV

JERUSALEM _ Israel's highest court upholds a much-criticized plea bargain that allowed former President Moshe Katsav to escape rape charges and a possible prison term. Developing. By Steve Weizman. AP Photos planned.

SKOREA-NEW PRESIDENT

SEOUL, South Korea _ New South Korean President Lee Myung-bak faces his first political showdown as the opposition-dominated parliament considers his choice for prime minister amid allegations of ethical lapses among Cabinet appointees. Moved. By Hyung-Jin Kim. AP Photos.

US-ELECTIONS

WASHINGTON _ Hillary Rodham Clinton stresses her foreign policy credentials ahead of must-win races next week, characterizing Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama as a rash and inconsistent politician who she suggests would need an instruction manual to handle a global crisis. Moved. AP Photos.

CHINA-US-RICE

BEIJING _ U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she expects China to help prod North Korea into fully declaring its nuclear programs as part of efforts to breath life into a stalled disarmament process. Moved. By Matthew Lee. AP Photos.

THAILAND-THAKSIN

BANGKOK, Thailand _ Deposed Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will return to Thailand from 17 months in exile Thursday to fight corruption charges, his lawyer says. His critics warn the homecoming could plunge the country into political crisis. Moved. By Ambika Ahuja. AP Photos.

WITH: THAILAND-POLITICIAN DISQUALIFIED

NORWAY-DOOMSDAY VAULT

LONGYEARBYEN, Norway _ Norway's prime minister opens a "doomsday" seed vault designed to protect millions of food crops from climate change, wars and natural disasters. Developing. By Doug Mellgren. AP Photos.

IRAQ

BAGHDAD _ A man in a wheelchair laden with explosives persuaded security guards to push him into an Iraqi operations center, where he blew himself up in an attack that killed the center's deputy commander. Moved. By Patrick Quinn. AP Photos.

PALESTINIANS-GIVING UP

NABLUS, West Bank _ Three dozen Palestinian gunmen, once admired and feared, now spend their days playing cards and watching TV. The Palestinians in protective custody in a Nablus lockup are believed to be among the last Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades militants to give up their rifles in what some say is the final chapter of the armed uprising in the West Bank. Moved. By Mohammed Daraghmeh. AP Photos.

VENEZUELA-BORDER KIDNAPPINGS

VILLA DEL ROSARIO, Venezuela _ Eustacio Galindo was tempting fate when he decided to check milk production at his ranch near the Colombian border. Gunmen grabbed the 70-year-old Galindo, one of his farmhands and his son, ordering them at gunpoint into his SUV. Kidnappings are on the rise in Venezuela's western ranchlands, especially in the shadow of the Sierra de Perija, the border-defining mountains locals call "no man's land." Moved. By Fabiola Sanchez.

WITH: VENEZUELA-REBEL REFUGE

UN-VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

UNITED NATIONS _ U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launches a global campaign to intensify efforts to end violence against women in peacetime and war. Moved. By Edith M. Lederer.

CUBA-VATICAN

HAVANA _ The Vatican's No. 2 official says he hopes the start of President Raul Castro's tenure will mean improved relations between Cuba's communist government and the Roman Catholic Church. Moved. By Anne-Marie Garcia.

BUSINESS & FINANCE:

GERMANY-SIEMENS

MUNICH, Germany _ Siemens AG says it will reorganize its corporate telecom unit, a move that will cut 3,800 jobs and transfer another 3,000 jobs to partners or other units. Moved. By Maria Marquart.

JAPAN-SONY

TOKYO _ Sony and Sharp are tying up in the flat-panel TV business, with Sony investing in a Sharp plant for making liquid crystal displays. Moved. By Yuri Kageyama.

JAPAN-US-BROADBAND CABLE

TOKYO _ A group of six international companies, including Google of the U.S., is building a US$300 million (200 million) underwater fiber-optic cable linking the United States and Japan. Moved.

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