There's breaking news from Afghanistan this morning — a suicide bomber set off an explosion that killed the nation's deputy chief of intelligence and at least 22 other people.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack, which happened in the eastern province of Laghman as the intelligence chief, Abdullah Laghmani, was leaving a ceremony that marked the inauguration of a mosque. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson filed this report from Kabul:

Related story in The Washington Post — "Taliban Surprising U.S. Forces With Improved Tactics."

Related story in The Wall Street Journal — "Warlord's Defection Shows Afghan Risk."

Unfortunately, there's other breaking news of death and destruction to pass on from overseas:

— "A bomb has exploded outside the Athens stock exchange, slightly injuring a female passer-by and damaging the building," the BBC reports. "The blasts may be the work of a Greek extremists' group, Revolutionary Struggle, says the BBC's Malcolm Brabant in Athens."

— "A powerful earthquake in Indonesia has killed at least 11 people and injured dozens of others," the Associated Press writes. "National Disaster Management Agency Satrio Nurhadiwibowo spokesman says those killed were in two towns in West Java province."

As for other stories making headlines, they include:

— Politico — "Obama Shifts Strategy;" Won't Insist On "Public Option": "Aides to President Barack Obama are putting the final touches on a new strategy to help Democrats recover from a brutal August recess by specifying what Obama wants to see in a compromise health care deal and directly confronting other trouble spots, West Wing officials tell Politico. Obama is considering detailing his health-care demands in a major speech as soon as next week, when Congress returns from the August recess. And although House leaders have said their members will demand the inclusion of a public insurance option, Obama has no plans to insist on it himself, the officials said."

Related story on Morning Edition — Lobbyists Campaign For Their Versions Of Health Care Overhaul. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with lobbyist Paul Lee about how it works:

— Los Angeles Times — "Weather Aids Firefighters, But Some Flanks Of Fire Have Lethal Potential": "Higher humidity and slightly lower temperatures helped firefighters inch closer to subduing the monstrous fire that has lashed about the San Gabriel Mountains for a week, but they were scrambling late Tuesday in gusty winds to keep it from overrunning Mt. Wilson."

— U.N. Office On Drugs and Crime — "Afghan Opium Production In Significant Decline": "Opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan is down 22%, opium production is down 10%, while prices are at a 10-year low. The number of opium poppy-free provinces has increased from 18 to 20 out of a total number of 34, and more drugs are being seized as a result of more robust counter-narcotics operations by Afghan and NATO forces."

Related report from Kabul by NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson:

— The New York Times — "Tribal Leaders Say Karzai's Team Forged 23,900 Votes": "The accusations ... are the most serious allegations so far that have been publicized against (President Hamid) Karzai's electoral machine, which faces a deluge of fraud complaints from around the country."

— Morning Edition — Some Jobs Are "Gone For Good". "The labor market will remain tough for many months to come. But when jobs eventually come back, traditionally strong areas such as health care and education are expected to lead the way. Analysts say weaker ones — such as construction — could take years to return. And many jobs in areas such as autos and newspapers are gone for good." NPR's Frank Langfitt reports: