National and International News-Wednesday

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A bomb explosion at a wholesale market center in Baghdad has killed at least two-dozen people and wounded dozens more. Three police officers are dead in another bombing. Earlier, a bicycle bombing in a city south of the capital killed 12 people outside an army recruiting center.

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Hearings get under way at Camp Pendleton, California, today for the first of eight servicemen charged in the death of a 52-year-old Iraqi. Witnesses say the man was dragged out of his house, tied up and then shot. The hearings will determine whether the seven Marines and one sailor are court-martialed.

KEY LARGO, Fla. (AP) - A weakened Tropical Storm Ernesto is dumping a lot of rain on southern Florida but has not brought the destructive winds that had been feared. Forecasters caution that it could become a hurricane again as it moves into the Atlantic later in the week, menacing Georgia and the Carolinas.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - President Bush heads back out on the campaign trail today after helping New Orleans commemorate the Hurricane Katrina anniversary yesterday. Bush will be headlining fund-raisers in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Memphis, Tennessee.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The nation's biggest lobby for seniors says companies would do well to keep the needs of older workers in mind. A-A-R-P's list of best employers for workers over 50 includes a number of medical centers but also Volkswagen. It rates such things as flexible scheduling and phased retirement.