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Bombs rock Bangkok into 2007

BANGKOK, Thailand, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Hours after six bombs marred New Year celebrations in Bangkok, a powerful explosion rocked the Thai capital's World Trade Center.

The bomb planted in a telephone booth injured at least one person early Monday, Xinhua reported.

Six bombs exploded in the waning hours of 2006, killing three people and injuring at least 30.

Among the sites targeted were a large shopping mall, a Chinese shrine, a supermarket, a pedestrian bridge and a bus station near Victory Monument.

Soldiers were deployed throughout the city as official celebrations and parties were canceled and department stores in downtown Bangkok -- usually open until midnight -- closed their doors early, Xinhua said.

Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont asked revelers to avoid large gatherings and ordered an immediate investigation into the source of the bombs, local media said.

The Voice of America quoted Thai officials as saying Muslim militants, usually confined to the south of the country, were probably not behind the wave of bombings.

Lugar: Consult Congress before troop surge

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., says President Bush should consult Congress before deciding whether to increase troops in Iraq.

Lugar says the president may pay a big political price if he doesn't. He also says Syria and Iran should join diplomatic efforts to end sectarian violence in Iraq, as well as the Saudis, the Jordanians, the Turks and others.

Bush is believed to be considering a "temporary surge" of 10,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops to stabilize Baghdad and the rest of the country.

Appearing on "Fox News Sunday," Lugar, the outgoing chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, was asked whether he supported an increase. "Well, I don't know whether I do or not," he said, "but if the president just advises congressional leaders of his decision "he can anticipate not endless hearings, but a lot of hearings, a lot of study, a lot of criticism ... demands for subpoenas, all sorts of situations in which administration figures perhaps reluctantly come to the (Foreign Relations Committee), or don't come to the committee."

Lugar also told Fox News he did not think the weekend execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein would have much effect on sectarian violence.

Edwards slams 'McCain doctrine' for Iraq

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, a Democratic presidential candidate, says what he calls the "McCain doctrine" is the wrong approach for Iraq.

Edwards has been hammering home the phrase in recent weeks to describe an increase in U.S. troops in Iraq, and did so again on ABC News' "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" Sunday.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who has long proposed a "surge" in troops, for the moment in the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, and Edwards appeared to be trying to ding his popularity.

Edwards has said the United States should begin to withdraw 40,000 to 50,000 troops, but conceded Sunday President Bush is unlikely to take his advice. "He never has and he's continuing on the wrong course," Edwards said.

The former senator, who appeared along with his wife Elizabeth, also said Americans will have to sacrifice to make the country energy independent.

Castro insists he's involved in government

HAVANA, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Cuban leader Fidel Castro insists he remains "in the loop" on matters of state despite his prolonged illness, the Granma newspaper reported Sunday.

The 80-year-old Castro said in a statement read by a newscaster on Cuban TV Saturday that he was making steady progress in his recovery.

Earlier this year the ailing leader underwent gastro-intestinal surgery, though his exact illness remains a carefully guarded secret. Castro then handed over authority to his younger brother Raul Castro.

Officials in the Bush administration have recently speculated that Fidel was suffering from cancer and would be dead within the next several months.