WORLD
* The European Union is sending aid to Japan to help it deal with the aftermath of earthquakes and a tsunami, Jose Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said
* Russia is to help Belarus build its first nuclear power plant as part of a series of energy agreements signed in Minsk
* Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has said he lost trust in all Western nations except Germany and that Libya will only invest in Russia, India and China
* Forces loyal to Col. Muammar Gaddafi have regained control of Ajdabiya, a key town about 100 miles from both the capital, Tripoli, and the main opposition stronghold of Benghazi
* A 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan, the U.S. Geological Survey said
* North Korea is prepared to renew six-party talks on its nuclear program without any “preliminary conditions,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported
RUSSIA
* Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered an investigation into overpricing practices at 2014 Winter Olympic construction projects
* Ukrainian opposition leader Vyacheslav Kirilenko submitted a bill to parliament terminating an agreement between Ukraine and Russia to complete construction at two nuclear power units at the Khmelnitskaya nuclear power plant
* Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called to speed up gas projects along the country’s Pacific coastline
DEFENSE
* The most advanced weapon systems manufactured for Russia’s ground forces are below NATO and even Chinese standards and are expensive, GF chief Col. Gen. Alexander Postnikov said
BUSINESS
* A third blast at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant, which heightened fears of a leak in the reactor container, sent Japanese stock indices down 9.5-10.5% at the end of a trading day on Tuesday, their lowest since 1987, exchange data showed