America awoke Tuesday to images of carnage and the foreboding reality of terrorism in the homeland, which ended a run of luck and a largely peaceful 11 years since the September 11 attacks. Constantly rolling news coverage -- showing the moment when two murderous explosions sent flames and smoke spurting into the air near the finish line of the Boston Marathon on Monday -- spooled endlessly on cable news stations.

A powerful earthquake in Iran on Tuesday damaged more than 1,000 homes in Pakistan, killing eight people in a remote community close to the desert border, a local health official and Pakistani state TV said. PTV said mud houses were damaged in Mashkail in Washuk district, where the deaths occurred, and 47 wounded were taken to a rural health centre in the area, around three kilometres (1.8 miles) from the Iranian border. There were cracks in government buildings in the area and PTV said President Asif Ali Zardari had expressed grief over the losses in Iran and Pakistan.

A powerful earthquake in Iran on Tuesday damaged more than 1,000 mud homes in Pakistan, killing six people and wounding dozens in a remote community close to the desert border, Pakistani state TV said. PTV said the houses were damaged in Mashkail in Washuk district, where six people were killed and 47 wounded were taken to a rural health centre in the area, around three kilometres (1.8 miles) from the Iranian border. There were cracks in government buildings in the area and PTV said President Asif Ali Zardari had expressed grief over the losses in Iran and Pakistan.

A Saudi diplomat held hostage by Al-Qaeda in Yemen for more than a year has urged the kingdom to secure his release, in a new video published by the extremist network's media arm. Abdullah al-Khalidi, Saudi's deputy consul in the southern port of Aden, was dressed in a traditional black outfit and appeared to be in good health in the 19-minute video interview by Al-Malahem Media, apparently produced between February and March.