■ Russia
Truck bomb levels building
A truck exploded yesterday outside a government security building in Ingushetia, bordering Chechnya, Russia's ITAR-Tass news agency reported. The Ingush Interior Ministry confirmed the powerful explosion near the Federal Security Service's building in the Ingush capital of Magas, but refused to provide any other details. The news agency reported that heavy Kamaz truck laden with explosives detonated yesterday morning. ITAR-Tass reported that there were numerous casualties. Tass said that at least 100 people were working in the building at the time of the blast.
■ Guinea-bissau
Bloodless coup staged
Soldiers ousted the president of the West African nation of Guinea-Bissau, taking advantage of widespread discontent with his rule to seize power in a bloodless coup. The army chief of staff, General Verissimo Correia Seabre, declared himself in charge of the country Sunday after the early-morning arrest of President Kumba Yala. A dawn-to-dusk curfew was imposed, and soldiers patrolled the streets of the capital Bissau with automatic weapons and grenade launchers. Several African countries including Nigeria and Senegal condemned the coup, as did Portugal, the former colonial ruler. But some residents expressed relief as much as alarm. "It's all calm. People aren't afraid," a man said by phone from the capital.
■ United states
Ben and Jennifer split?
Have they gone from Bennifer back to Ben and Jennifer? The most overexposed couple on the planet was supposed to exchange wedding vows on Sunday, but instead there was a report that they had ended their tabloid-chronicled storybook romance. Amid the frantic speculation surrounding the pair last week, People magazine reported Sunday that Affleck has dumped Lopez due to "second thoughts." Dubbed "Bennifer" by gossip wags, the pair planned to wed at a mansion estate near Santa Barbara. But they postponed the ceremony on Wednesday, saying excessive media attention was turning the event into havoc.
■ Brazil
Crowd demands gun control
Leading soap opera stars joined tens of thousands of Rio residents yesterday to demand more stringent gun controls in Brazil, one of the world's most violent countries. About 50,000 protesters braved driving rain to march along Copacabana beach, waving banners reading "Brazil without guns" and calling on the government to pass a gun-control law before congress. The protest had been heavily promoted in the soap opera Women in Love. For weeks, the show's characters have talked about the march and their presence guaranteed a large turnout despite the weather.
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