Syrian rebels target security officials in capital

BEIRUT—Rebels seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime launched three separate attacks on his security forces around Damascus on Tuesday, killing two ranking officers and rocking the capital with a booby-trapped car, activists and state media said. 

The attacks took place as a U.N. team observing Syria's violence-ridden truce was visiting another area near the capital, the restive suburb of Douma. Activists and amateur videos reported shelling and gunfire in that area Tuesday, just a day after 55 people were killed across Syria—most of them in a city the observers had recently visited.

Tuesday's attacks underline the increasing militarization of the 13-month-old conflict and show the effort by Assad's opponents to chip away at the security services he relies upon to quash dissent. 

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one intelligence officer was killed in the capital's Barzeh neighborhood but gave no information on how he died.

Separately, an army truck blew up as it was driving through downtown Damascus. The blast in Marjah Square near the Iranian Cultural Center left blood and shattered glass on the road. The truck's driver and two passengers in a nearby car were injured and taken to a hospital. 

Security officials at the scene said the truck driver did not appear to be implicated in the blast, suggesting the explosives had been planted on the vehicle. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media. 

The Syrian government did not immediately comment on those attacks.

The state news service, however, said "terrorists" killed a retired lieutenant colonel and his brother in a Damascus suburb in a third attack.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. CONTINUE . . . . .

Clinton pushes India.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

pushes India on nuclear law, market access

Urged India to open markets faster and resolve questions on a civilian nuclear accord that US companies hope could mean billions of dollars in new business that US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

US-Indian talks with a polite Clinton opened high-level firm push New Delhi to get moving on key economic issues promised and delivered.

Clinton said in her opening remarks at the meeting, the latest in a series of talks aimed at deepening political and economic ties between the United States and the world's second most populous country.

The global economic slowdown has driven US and European companies to look for sales in emerging markets like India.

Clinton's visit will cover a range of bilateral issues including counter-terrorism cooperation, an issue thrown into stark relief by last week's deadly triple bomb attack on India's financial capital Mumbai.

She will brief Indian leaders on US plans to draw down troops in Afghanistan -- which New Delhi fears may mean a hasty US exit. 

Clinton did not mention Pakistan in her opening statements, but did underscore that Washington and New Delhi have a common challenge in confronting the threat of militant violence.

On top of the list is civilian nuclear cooperation, which despite a landmark 2008 accord has yet to overcome Indian legal and regulatory obstacles which could open the doors to US nuclear energy companies such as General Electric and Westinghouse, the US-based arm of Japan's Toshiba.

The United States was disappointed when India rejected US bids for an $11 billion fighter aircraft contract in April, but still hopes US companies can benefit as New Delhi forges ahead with one of the world's biggest arms purchase programs.

"The United States expects to continue developing and selling the world's most competitive products," Clinton said.