WORLD at 1000GMT

NEW THIS DIGEST:

RUSSIA-CAUCASUS VIOLENCE. Suicide bomber kills three soldiers and wounds 32 at military base in Dagestan.

SPAIN-ETA. BBC reports that Basque separatist group ETA has issued a video declaring a cease fire.

FRANCE-VEIL FALLOUT. France's plan to do away with burqa-style veils is reverberating far beyond its borders.

NEW ZEALAND-EARTHQUAKE. Earthquake that hit Christchurch also ripped new 11-foot wide fault line in the earth.

DENMARK-AMATEUR ROCKET LAUNCH. Two space enthusiasts try to send privately built rocket 18.6 miles high.

PHILIPPINES-ABU SAYYAF. Police kill an Abu Sayyaf commander linked to kidnapping of Red Cross workers.

AFGHANISTAN. Coalition service member killed a day after Karzai moved closer to talks with Taliban.

HONG KONG-NEXT PANDEMIC. Expert warns that bird flu could spark the next global outbreak.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS. Israeli aircraft bomb 3 Gaza tunnels, killing 2 Palestinians and wounding 1, Hamas says.

TOP STORIES:

RUSSIA-CAUCASUS VIOLENCE

MAKHACHKALA, Russia — A suicide car-bomber kills three soldiers and wounds 32 others in an attack on a military base in Russia's violence-plagued republic of Dagestan, officials say. By Arsen Mollayev.

SPAIN-ETA

LONDON — The BBC is reporting that the Basque separatist militant group ETA has issued a video declaring a cease fire.

NEW ZEALAND-EARTHQUAKE

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — The powerful earthquake that smashed buildings, cracked roads and twisted rail lines around the New Zealand city of Christchurch also ripped a new 11-foot (3.5 meter) wide fault line in the earth's surface, a geologist says. By Rob Griffith. AP Photos.

FRANCE-VEIL FALLOUT

PARIS — Protests in Pakistan, al-Qaida warnings, skittish Muslim tourists: France's plan to do away with burqa-style veils is already reverberating far beyond its borders. By Elaine Ganley. AP Photos.

AFGHANISTAN

KABUL, Afghanistan — A coalition service member is killed in fighting in Afghanistan's turbulent south one day after President Hamid Karzai moved a step closer to opening talks with Taliban who might be having doubts about the ongoing insurgency. By Christopher Bodeen. AP Photos.

PHILIPPINES-ABU SAYYAF

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police commandos kill an Abu Sayyaf commander linked to last year's kidnapping of Red Cross workers and gun down two other militants in a clash in the south, officials say. Police go on full alert after the killings to guard against retaliatory attacks. By Jim Gomez.

DENMARK-AMATEUR ROCKET LAUNCH

COPENHAGEN — Two Danish space enthusiasts will try to send up a privately built rocket 18.6 miles into the air from a barge in the Baltic Sea. The launch is the first step in realizing a dream to fly to the edge of space, said to be 62 miles above sea level. Launce expected at 1130 GMT.

HONG KONG-NEXT PANDEMIC

HONG KONG — A leading virus expert urges health authorities around the world to stay vigilant even though the recent swine flu pandemic was less deadly than expected, warning that bird flu could spark the next global outbreak. By Min Lee. AP Photos.

ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israeli aircraft bomb three Gaza tunnels, killing two Palestinians and wounding a third, Hamas security officials say. By Ibrahim Barzak. AP Photos.

ITALY-VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

VENICE, Italy — Kelly Reichardt's new frontier drama, "Meek's Cutoff," tells the story of a group of pioneers who get lost on the Oregon trail and struggle with whether to trust their unreliable guide, or a Native American, viewed as the natural enemy. Michelle Williams stars in the film, which is spare in storytelling but rich in detail. "Meek's Cutoff" premieres at the Venice Film Festival in competition for the Golden Lion. By Colleen Barry. 1500 GMT.

SPORTS:

CRI--FIXING-PAKISTAN

CARDIFF, Wales — Pakistan team manager Yawar Saeed has said his team will play the Twenty20 international against England on Sunday despite fresh allegations by a teammate of the three players suspended on corruption charges that Pakistan players have been fixing "almost every match." Expected by 1015 GMT. By Richard Sydenham.

MOT--MOTO GP

MILAN — Dani Pedrosa is on pole position for the San Marino Grand Prix at Misano Adriatico and will aim to build on the position to close the gap on overall standings leader Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo starts in second place on the grid, ahead of a rejuvenated Casey Stoner in third and reigning world champion Valentino Rossi in fourth. Expected by 1600 GMT.

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