| Obama, Mexico's Calderon vow more drug crime cooperation Posted:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mexican President Felipe Calderon told President Barack Obama on Monday that drug violence would continue unabated in his country unless the flow of American guns is curbed, while Obama promised closer cooperation with Mexico in fighting the narcotics trade. Obama acknowledged a responsibility to quell the U.S. demand for illegal drugs that helps drive narcotics trafficking, and said coordination with Mexico in the fight is becoming better than ever. ...
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| Colombian rebels free 10 captives held more than a decade Posted:  BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia's FARC rebels on Monday freed 10 members of the armed forces held hostage in jungle prison camps for more than a decade, the last of a group of captives the drug-funded group has held as bargaining chips to pressure the government. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia released four soldiers and six police officials to a humanitarian mission led by the International Red Cross. "This operation in a single day allowed ten families to be reunited after being apart for so many years," said Jordi Raich, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross ...
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| News Corp faces proxy call for independent chairman Posted:  BOSTON (Reuters) - News Corp faces a call to appoint an independent board chairman on concerns Rupert Murdoch's media company needs to pursue more reforms to deal with its phone-hacking scandal and other issues. The proxy proposal, filed by Christian Brothers Investment Services, is likely to fan an ongoing controversy over governance at the company. Although unlikely to get a majority of votes, the nonbinding resolution filed last month could put pressure on the board to remove Murdoch, currently News Corp's chief executive, from his other role as chairman of the company, the sponsor said. ...
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| Annan says Syria agrees to April 10 peace deadline Posted:  UNITED NATIONS/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria has pledged to withdraw all military units from towns by April 10 to pave the way for a ceasefire with rebels two days later, though Western envoys were skeptical on Monday about Damascus' intent to halt its year-long assault on opponents. The U.N.-Arab League peace envoy Kofi Annan briefed the U.N. Security Council on the deadline behind closed doors. He told them there had been no reduction in violence so far, but urged them to consider an observer mission nevertheless in light of Syria's acceptance of the April 10 deadline, diplomats said. ...
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| Neighbors hit Mali junta with border shutdown Posted:  BAMAKO/DAKAR (Reuters) - Mali's neighbors agreed to shut their borders with the West African country on Monday as part of tough sanctions aimed at forcing the leaders of last month's coup to step down. Leaders of the 15-member Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, also announced they would "activate" the region's standby military force, though it was unclear when any troops would deploy and with what mandate. ...
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| Mexican front-runner vows swift drop in drug violence Posted:  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexico's presidential front-runner Enrique Pena Nieto said if he wins the July 1 election he would aim for a rapid reduction in drug war violence that has claimed 50,000 lives since late 2006. Pena Nieto, of the opposition Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), has a big lead in opinion polls heading into the election, which will take place with a backdrop of years of bloodshed between drug gangs and security forces. ...
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| Argentina chides Britain on Falklands war anniversary Posted:  USHUAIA, Argentina (Reuters) - Argentine President Cristina Fernandez marked the 30th anniversary of the Falklands war on Monday with sharp criticism of Britain for maintaining "colonial enclaves" and a renewed call for sovereignty talks. Fernandez has intensified pressure on London to negotiate the sovereignty of the islands in the run-up to the anniversary of the 10-week war that Britain and Argentina fought over the remote South Atlantic archipelago in 1982. ...
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| U.S. hails Myanmar election as step for democratic change Posted:  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday hailed a strong showing by Aung San Suu Kyi's pro-democracy party in Myanmar's by-elections, calling the vote an important step in the country's democratic transformation. "We hope it is an indication that the government of Burma intends to continue along the path of greater openness, transparency and reform," Jay Carney, press secretary for U.S. President Barack Obama, said in a statement. ...
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| Quake hits Mexico, no major damage reported Posted:  MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A strong earthquake struck southwest Mexico on Monday, shaking buildings as far away as the capital and prompting people to stream out of their offices onto the streets, though there were no reports of serious damage. The U.S. Geological Survey said the tremor registered magnitude 6.3 and centered 175 km (108 miles) east south-east of the tourist resort of Acapulco, not far from where a much more powerful earthquake struck last month. "It felt strong, but thank God nothing happened to us. ...
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| Once cautious Brotherhood gambles on Egypt presidency Posted:  CAIRO (Reuters) - A surprise decision by Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood to field a candidate in the presidential election signals a new assertiveness by the traditionally cautious group that risks splitting the Islamist vote and aiding rivals from the era of Hosni Mubarak. The new approach has become increasingly apparent in the Brotherhood's standoff with the ruling military council, which has rejected the Islamist group's demand for the army-backed cabinet to be sacked so it can lead the formation of a new one. ...
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| S.Sudan: Sudan bombing country to scare investors Posted:  Sudan is bombing oil-rich regions of South Sudan in order to scare away American and Chinese investors, a South Sudan official said Monday, as U.S. President Barack Obama expressed concern about the growing tensions between the two countries.
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| Gulf plan could be blank check for Syrian rebels Posted:  A Gulf plan to funnel millions of dollars a month to Syrian rebels — payments earmarked for salaries for the fighters — could amount to a blank check for the opposition to build up an arsenal against President Bashar Assad's forces, analysts say.
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| Syrian forces storm rebel areas, torch homes Posted:  The Syrian government sent troops backed by tanks into rebellious areas Monday, hunting down activists and torching their homes and bulldozing others, opposition groups said.
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| Myanmar's Suu Kyi hopes victory is dawn of new era Posted:  Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi's victory in parliamentary elections is the biggest prize of her political career. But the weekend vote for only a few dozen legislative seats may have sown the seeds of something far more significant — the possibility her party could sweep the next balloting in 2015 and take control of Myanmar's government.
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| Mexico's PAN battling to retain presidency Posted:  Expectations were high when a maverick businessman favoring cowboy boots and plain talk won the presidency in 2000, defeating the party that had governed Mexico for 71 consecutive years.
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| Colombia rebels free last police, soldier captives Posted:  Colombia's main rebel group on Monday freed what it says were its last 10 soldier and police captives, all of whom had been held in jungle prisons for at least 12 years.
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| Aftershock shakes Mexico, no injuries reported Posted:  Mexico was shaken Monday afternoon by a strong apparent aftershock from a powerful earthquake late last month.
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| Irish Catholic Church probes porn slideshow Posted: The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland said Monday it's investigating how a priest offering a presentation to parents on their children's upcoming Confessions instead ended up showing them a computer slideshow of gay porn. |
| Egypt Brotherhood candidate stirs unease Posted:  The Muslim Brotherhood's surprise decision to field a presidential candidate is stirring fears that the two biggest powers to emerge from the ouster of Hosni Mubarak — the Islamists and the military — are maneuvering to put in place a new rule in Egypt not much different from the old, authoritarian one.
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| Blaze hits Russian skyscraper, no injuries Posted:  Huge flames danced for hours on the top floors of an under-construction Moscow skyscraper that is to be Europe's tallest, lighting up the night sky Monday. No injuries were reported in the blaze.
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