Iraq: Violence
BAGHDAD — Militants planted a bomb in an eastern Baghdad liquor store on Tuesday, killing the Christian owner and two others, while a TV reporter had his legs blown off by a bomb attached to his car.
The political coalition led by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, delayed a press conference in which it was expected to announce an alliance with a rival Shiite bloc, showing that wrangling continues over forming a new government.
Brazil: Sentencing
SAO PAULO — A Brazilian rancher's conviction for the murder of a U.S. nun in the Amazon could help discourage attacks on rain forest activists that for decades have largely gone unpunished, environmentalists said Tuesday.
Vitalmiro Moura was sentenced to 30 years for ordering the killing of 73-year-old Dorothy Stang in 2005 because she blocked him and another rancher from taking over land the government gave to farmers.
Iceland: Plane fumes
REYKJAVIK — An American Airlines flight with 145 people on board made an emergency landing in Iceland on Tuesday after five crew members became ill, apparently from chemical fumes in the cabin.
American Airlines Flight 49 traveling from Paris to Dallas-Fort Worth landed safely at Keflavik Airport just after 7:45 a.m. MDT. Airport spokesman Fridthor Eydal said mechanics and civil aviation investigators were examining the plane to find the cause of the problem.
Mexico: Violence
MEXICO CITY — A Mexican government report says at least 22,700 people have been killed in Mexico by drug gang violence since a military crackdown on cartels began more than three years ago.
The report says 2009 was the deadliest year in the drug war, with 9,365 people killed in violence tied to organized crime. That compares to 2,837 in 2007, the first year of President Felipe Calderon's military-led offensive.
Germany: Demjanjuk
MUNICH — Retired Ohio autoworker John Demjanjuk told a German court Tuesday he was a victim of the Nazis, using his first major statement since his trial began to sharply criticize the country that started World War II for prosecuting him.
Demjanjuk, who turned 90 earlier this month, is standing trial on 27,900 counts of being an accessory to murder on allegations he was a guard at the Sobibor camp in occupied Poland. He denies ever being at any camp, claiming he is the victim of mistaken identity.
France: Child porn
PARIS — A French general who served as top military spokesman in the 1990s was convicted Tuesday of downloading thousands of images of pornography involving children, some as young as six months old, but given an unusually light sentence.
The Paris court gave Raymond Germanos a 10-month suspended sentence and ordered him to pay one euro in symbolic damages.
Venezuela: Chavez
CARACAS — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged thousands of gun-toting militia troops Tuesday to be ready to fight for his socialist government, telling them that opponents may be plotting to oust or kill him.
Chavez rallied the civilian militia at an outdoor speech while marking the anniversary of a failed 2002 coup against him. Organizers estimated about 35,000 militia members in the crowd, which filled a downtown avenue in Caracas.