India overtakes China as...

India overtakes China as world's biggest arms importer

(CNN) -- India has overtaken China as the world's biggest importer of weapons, with Asian nations the most aggressive consumers of military hardware, a new report says.

Between 2007 and 2011, India's business accounted for 10% of the global arms market, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). South Korea was next, accounting for 6% of sales, followed by Pakistan and China (5%) and Singapore (4%).

Siemon Wezeman, a senior analyst with SIPRI, said India's defense spending reflects its regional security concerns and Delhi's global aspirations.

"India procures arms in relation to its tense relationship with Pakistan and increasingly sees China as a potential threat," he told CNN. "It also wants to assert itself as a major regional or even global power."

Much of this expenditure has focused on the modernization of its armed forces with the purchase of fighter jets and warships, according to The Hindu. Read More

Car bomb hits Somali capital

(CNN) -- A car loaded with explosives rocked the Somali capital Wednesday, leaving one injured and damaging a house nearby, authorities said.

The blasts targeted K-4 square, which includes an intersection of roads that connect the airport to the city center.

African Union troops fighting militants in the nation are stationed near the square because of its strategic position, making it a major target in recent years.

Suspects detonated a car parked beside the square, said Mohamed Mohamud Garar, the local government official in charge of security.

Four suspects are in custody, including one caught with a remote control detonator in his hand, he said. 

Iraq bombings meant to target summit security, militant group says

Baghdad (CNN) -- A militant group with links to al Qaeda claimed responsibility for a deadly wave of bombings across Iraq, strikes designed to undermine government security plans for the upcoming Arab League summit.

The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella group that includes al Qaeda in Iraq, made the claim in a statement posted on an al Qaeda website. The explosions killed 45 people and wounded hundreds Tuesday.

Occurring on the ninth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, the attacks were "coordinated" and launched by "Sunni lions" in Baghdad and other provinces "simultaneously," the online statement said. Sunni lions is an adulatory reference to militants.

The bombings were meant to target the security plan "of the government of fools inside the Green Zone, in preparation of the meeting of Arab tyrants in Baghdad," the statement said. The country is hosting the next Arab League summit March 29. Read More

Colombia: Dozens of guerrillas killed

Bogota, Colombia (CNN) -- Colombian authorities have killed dozens of leftist guerrillas in the past day, the nation's defense minister said Wednesday.

Operations throughout the country led to the killing of 39 suspected members the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and the capture of a dozen others from the rebel group, Defense Minister Juan Carlos Pinzon told reporters.

"This is one of the greatest blows (to the rebel group) in the last five years," Pinzon said.

One operation near the Venezuelan border led to the killing of 36 suspected rebels and the capture of five others, including a top leader of one faction of the rebel group, he said. Read More