| Syria violence worsening as deadline nears: U.N. chief Posted:  BEIRUT/UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that Syria's conflict is deepening and attacks on civilian areas show no sign of abating, despite assurances from Damascus that it has begun withdrawing troops under an international peace plan. Residents of at least one area under fire from the forces of President Bashar al-Assad poured scorn on the official assertions that troops were pulling back in several cities before a cease-fire which is supposed to start on April 10. ...
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| Tunisians jailed for Facebook cartoons of Prophet Posted:  TUNIS (Reuters) - Two young Tunisians have been sentenced to seven years in prison for posting cartoons of the prophet Mohammad on Facebook, in a case that has fueled allegations the country's new Islamist leaders are gagging free speech. The two men had posted depictions of the prophet naked on the social networking site, the justice ministry said, inflaming sensitivities in a country where Muslim values have taken on a bigger role since a revolution last year. "They were sentenced ... ...
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| Mali sanctions could be lifted soon: mediator Posted:  BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's neighbors could soon lift economic and diplomatic sanctions imposed on the West African country with the aim of forcing last month's coup leaders to quit power, a regional mediator said after talks with the junta leader on Thursday. The 15-member West African bloc ECOWAS this week shut the borders of the landlocked country and denied it access to funds from the regional central bank, moves that could start to strangle the economy of Africa's third-ranked gold producer in days. ...
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| Gaddafi son attacked, misled: defense lawyer Posted:  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Pressure is mounting on Libya to hand over Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of the late Libyan leader, to the international war crimes court after a defense lawyer said he had been physically attacked and misled over the charges against him. The Libyan authorities and the International Criminal Court (ICC), the war crimes court based in The Hague, have been locked in a dispute over where Saif al-Islam should face trial. ...
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| France's Melenchon keeps up momentum in Toulouse Posted:  TOULOUSE (Reuters) - French firebrand leftist Jean-Luc Melenchon made a show of force in the southern city of Toulouse on Thursday, drawing tens of thousands of supporters to a rally in which he called for France to withdraw from NATO and harked back to revolutionary times. Melenchon, leader of a group of far-left parties, is riding a wave of enthusiasm for his presidential campaign that has lifted him above far-right chief Marine Le Pen in some polls just three weeks from the first round of a two-stage election. ...
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| Italy's Monti defends reform as opposition grows Posted:  ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti said on Thursday he had enough support for planned labor reforms despite a wave of criticism from unions and employers against proposals aimed at making it easier for companies to fire workers. The battle over reforms to Italy's rigid system of labor contracts has dominated Monti's agenda this year and provided his first major political battle since he replaced the scandal-plagued Silvio Berlusconi in November. ...
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| Italy Northern League leader resigns amid fraud scandal Posted:  MILAN (Reuters) - Umberto Bossi, the firebrand leader of Italy's opposition Northern League party, resigned on Thursday after allegations that taxpayers' money was used to pay for renovations at his villa and holidays for his children. He resigned to "better defend and protect the image of the movement and of his family in this delicate situation," the party said in a statement. ...
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| Grisly death fuels tales of Russian police torture Posted:  KAZAN, Russia (Reuters) - Albert Zagitov had barely set up his new fruit and vegetable stall at the bustling Volga market in the Russian city of Kazan when he was told by a stranger to pack up and go. After he refused, he was taken to a police car and driven to a police station where he says four officers took turns to hit him in the head and chest and threatened to rape him. "As soon as we sat in the car, they started behaving very cruelly, swearing at me and calling me names," said Zagitov, a Russian born in the Tatarstan region of which Kazan is the capital. "The threats were real. ...
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| Greek suicide a potent symbol before election Posted:  ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek pensioner's suicide outside parliament has quickly become a symbol of the pain of austerity and has been seized upon by opponents of the budget cuts imposed by Greece's international lenders. The 77-year-old retired pharmacist, Dimitris Christoulas, shot himself in the head on Wednesday after saying that financial troubles had pushed him over the edge. A suicide note said he preferred to die rather than scavenge for food. ...
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| U.S. not backing off as Iran sanctions bite Posted: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration's man in charge of squeezing Tehran over its nuclear program is unapologetic for the strain Western penalties on Iran have exerted on global oil markets. The price of oil has shot up nearly 15 percent since January, companies that trade with Iran are struggling to get paid and the biggest Asian countries are scrambling to work around U.S. sanctions that aim to deprive Tehran of revenue needed to develop its nuclear program. Cohen, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. ... |
| Syrian assault undermines hopes for cease-fire Posted:  Syria launched a blistering assault Thursday on the outskirts of its capital, shelling residential areas and deploying snipers on rooftops as international envoy Kofi Annan demanded every fighter lay down arms in time for a U.N.-brokered cease-fire.
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| Chavez back in Venezuela after treatment in Cuba Posted:  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez attended a Mass with family Thursday after returning from his latest round of radiation therapy treatment in Cuba.
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| Puerto Rico warns Occupy Movement to clean up mess Posted: Puerto Rico officials threatened the island's Occupy Movement with legal action Thursday if its supporters do not clean up a public park they occupied for five months and abandoned suddenly this week. |
| Barney McKenna, last of original Dubliners, dies Posted:  "Banjo" Barney McKenna, the last original member of the Irish folk band The Dubliners, died Thursday while having a morning cup of tea with a friend. He was 72 and had just marked his 50th year with the troupe.
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| UN chief warns Syria crisis is getting worse Posted:  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday the crisis in Syria is getting worse and claiming more lives every day even though President Bashar Assad's government insists it is withdrawing troops ahead of a U.N. deadline to end the violence.
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| UN agency criticizes Brazilian court's rape ruling Posted: The United Nations refugee agency said Thursday it was deplorable that Brazil's top appeals court ruled that sex with a 12-year-old does not necessarily constitute statutory rape. |
| Storm kills at least 13 in Argentine capital area Posted:  A strong storm in Argentina's capital has blown down trees and destroyed roofs, killing at least 13 people in the region and leaving more than 20 injured.
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| Over US mother, Islamist likely out of Egypt race Posted:  Egypt's election commission confirmed Thursday that the mother of a popular Islamist presidential hopeful was an American citizen, effectively disqualifying him from the race and likely boosting the chances of the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate.
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| Ferdinand Porsche, 911 sports car designer, dies Posted:  The Porsche 911, with its sloping roof line, long hood and powerful rear engine, has been a sports car-lover's fantasy for the half century since its 1963 introduction. Its creator, Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, grandson of the automaker's founder, is dead at age 76.
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| Berlusconi ally quits in corruption scandal Posted:  The firebrand founder of a populist anti-immigrant party in Italy, whose crucial support kept Silvio Berlusconi in power in three governments, resigned Thursday amid a widening corruption scandal over party funds.
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