Several hundred thousand Venezuelans marched in Caracas in support of President Hugo Chavez. Chavez called the rally to protest the opposition strike, and government buses brought marchers in from other cities. (Reuters) Update: An explosion near the demonstration injured twelve and killed one. Police said they suspect the explosion was caused by a bomb. (Reuters)

Kuwaiti officials said a suspect, who they said was an al Qaeda sympathizer, had confessed to shooting two American civilians in Kuwait on Tuesday. Police continue to search for two other suspects. (WaPost/AP)

North and South Korea issued a joint statement saying they would resolve the current standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program together. Separately, South Korea said that it had "sufficiently delivered our and the international community's concern on the nuclear issue," but that North Korea had refused to agree to any compromises. (Fox News/AP)

China said it supported resolving the situation in Iraq diplomatically. France objected to U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's remark yesterday that it and Germany were "old Europe." U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the U.S. would do "what it thinks is appropriate" and that he believed other nations would support it. In Iraq, officials said "we did our best" but that six scientists had still refused interviews with U.N. inspectors. (BBC)

Three Israelis died of gunshot wounds after they were ambushed in the West Bank, south of Hebron. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. (Ha'aretz)

A day after India expelled four Pakistani diplomats, Pakistan expelled four Indian diplomats. (BBC)

Bush administration officials said they still hoped the U.N. Security Council would be able to agree on appropriate action in Iraq. American officials indicated they plan to ask France and Germany why they believe Iraq's failure to fully comply with the U.N.'s demands does not merit a response. (NYT)

An HIV-positive conservative activist withdrew from consideration for a presidential advisory panel on AIDS after remarks attributed to him were criticized as anti-gay. (CNN)

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development proposed a new rule allowing religious groups to use federal money to acquire, improve or construct buildings, so long as the federal funds went toward buildings or parts of buildings not intended for religious use. Bush administration officials said the new rule would end discrimination against religious groups. (NYT)

A report by the U.S. Federal Reserve indicated that between 1998 and 2001, the median net worth of high-income households grew at a higher rate, 69 percent, than it did in low-income households, where it grew by 25 percent. The report also indicated that median net worth for minorities fell by 4.5 percent during that time. (USAT, NYT)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a set of new rules restricting the work accounting firms can do for public companies. The rules are intended to restore investor confidence in outside accountants' independence from the companies they audit. The approved restrictions are weaker than those originally proposed last year, following accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom and other large companies. (WaPost, NYT)

Britain's FTSE 100 index fell 55.8 points to close at 3622.2, its lowest level since 1995. The FTSE has dropped by almost 9 percent over the last nine days, among concerns about the economy and a possible war in Iraq. (Sky News)

A report by the U.S. Federal Reserve indicated that between 1998 and 2001, the median net worth of high-income households grew at a higher rate, 69 percent, than it did in low-income households, where it grew by 25 percent. The report also indicated that median net worth for minorities fell by 4.5 percent during that time. (USAT, NYT)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a set of new rules restricting the work accounting firms can do for public companies. The rules are intended to restore investor confidence in outside accountants' independence from the companies they audit. The approved restrictions are weaker than those originally proposed last year, following accounting scandals at Enron, WorldCom and other large companies. (WaPost, NYT)

Researchers in China discovered six specimens of a dinosaur with birdlike feathers on its four limbs and tail. The feathers are believed to have been used for gliding from trees. The discovery may also shed light on the evolutionary ancestry of birds. (Nature)

North and South Korea issued a joint statement saying they would resolve the current standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program together. Separately, South Korea said that it had "sufficiently delivered our and the international community's concern on the nuclear issue," but that North Korea had refused to agree to any compromises. (Fox News/AP)