| Libya insists on Gaddafi son trial as ICC visits Posted:  TRIPOLI (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor met Libyan officials in Tripoli on Wednesday where they reiterated that Muammar Gaddafi's detained son would be tried at home, despite calls by the Hague-based court to hand him over. The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam last year, after prosecutors accused him and others of involvement in the killing of protesters during the revolt that eventually toppled his father. ...
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| Norway's mass killer demands acquittal or death Posted:  OSLO (Reuters) - Norwegian anti-Islamic fanatic Anders Behring Breivik said on Wednesday he should be executed or acquitted after killing 77 people last summer in what he said was a battle to defend Europe against mass immigration. "There are only two just outcomes to this case -- acquittal or the death penalty," the 33-year-old said, calling the prospect of a prison sentence "pathetic". Norway has no death penalty and formal sentencing cannot exceed 21 years, though Breivik could be held the rest of his life if he is judged to pose a continuing danger. ...
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| Yemen air strike kills six militants, government says Posted:  ADEN, Yemen (Reuters) - Yemeni warplanes killed at least six militants linked to al Qaeda on Wednesday, the government said as it pressed ahead with an offensive against insurgents in the south. Since the outbreak of anti-government protests that unseated former president Ali Abdullah Saleh, security has deteriorated in Yemen, particularly in the south, where the army is struggling to control Islamist fighters. The defense ministry said it launched an air strike on a group of militants near the southern city of Lawdar, killing six. ...
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| NATO says concrete plans emerging for Afghanistan after 2014 Posted:  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Wednesday he saw an "emerging agreement" among the alliance's members on what role they would play in Afghanistan once that country's forces take charge of security by 2015. Speaking during a meeting of NATO allies in Brussels, Rasmussen said a number of member states had already pledged the size of their financial contributions to help the Afghan government maintain security forces after 2014. ...
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| Gunfire and wrangling cloud U.N. Syria mission Posted:  BEIRUT/PARIS (Reuters) - Gunfire and protests near a team of U.N. observers in Syria and diplomatic wrangling over the scope of their mission underlined the precarious prospects for a week-old truce which has so far failed to halt a year of bloodshed. Shooting erupted on Wednesday close to an advance party of military personnel from the United Nations who had been swarmed by protesters denouncing President Bashar al-Assad in the town of Erbin, on the northeastern outskirts of the capital Damascus. There were no reports of casualties. ...
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| Barred Islamist says Egypt army wants to keep power Posted:  CAIRO (Reuters) - A leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood said on Wednesday his removal from the presidential ballot showed the army wanted to cling to power, a charge that turns up the heat between generals and Islamists, who both say they back a transition to democracy. Khairat al-Shater, a wealthy businessman and top official in the Brotherhood, Egypt's biggest Islamist group, had been a frontrunner for next month's first round of voting - until the election committee rejected his bid over a criminal record he acquired during political persecution under Hosni Mubarak. ...
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| Exclusive: Bolivia says may de-flag Iranian ships Posted:  DUBAI (Reuters) - Bolivia could strike 15 vessels linked to the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines off its shipping register just weeks after IRISL found Bolivian replacements for their Maltese and Cypriot flags. IRISL, its many subsidiaries and their dozens of ships have drawn sanctions from the United States, United Nations and the European Union for their suspected role in transporting military equipment for Tehran. ...
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| Russia admits irregularities in regional vote after protests Posted:  MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia admitted on Wednesday that some irregularities had taken place in the course of a disputed mayoral election in a southern Russian city last month, after the victory of a pro-Kremlin candidate there set off a wave of anti-government protests. The disputed election in Astrakhan has become a focus for the opposition as it tries to breathe new life into its protest movement which has lost steam since Vladimir Putin was elected president for a six-year term on March 4. ...
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| International bodies condemn arrests by Mali junta Posted:  BAMAKO (Reuters) - International organizations condemned a wave of arrests by Mali's military rulers extended into a third day on Wednesday despite an agreement by the junta to restore constitutional order. The West African state has been in crisis since a March 22 coup derailed a planned April election and brought about a collapse of internal front lines as Tuareg separatists and Islamist rebels advanced and seized vast northern desert zones. ...
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| Bissau junta sets two-year roadmap to elections Posted: BISSAU (Reuters) - Guinea-Bissau's military junta said on Wednesday it would take two years to restore democratic rule in the West African state through elections that will be set by a soon-to-be-named caretaker government. The announcement came after broad international condemnation of the shadowy "Military Command" which seized power last week and cut short a presidential poll by detaining its front-runner, former Prime Minister Carlos Gomes Junior. The former Portuguese colony has seen several coups and army revolts since independence in 1974. ... |
| UN monitors flee Syrian protest after gunfire Posted:  Syrian security forces opened fire Wednesday on anti-regime demonstrators surrounding the cars of a U.N. team meant to monitor a shaky cease-fire, sending the observers speeding off and protesters dashing for cover, according to activists and amateur videos.
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| Norway gunman wants freedom or death for massacre Posted:  The right-wing fanatic on trial for massacring 77 people in Norway says he wants either freedom or death, calling the country's prison terms "pathetic" and arguing for the return of capital punishment, which was last used here to execute Nazi collaborators after World War II.
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| New military photo scandal: Panetta apologizes Posted:  Defense Secretary Leon Panetta apologized Wednesday for gruesome, newly revealed photographs that show U.S. soldiers posing with the bloodied remains of dead insurgents in Afghanistan. He said war can lead young troops to "foolish decisions" and expressed concern the photos could incite fresh violence against Americans.
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| India to test nuclear missile that can hit Beijing Posted: India is planning to test launch a new nuclear-capable missile that for the first time would give it the capability of hitting the major Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai. |
| Canada considering request to take US prisoner Posted: Canada said Wednesday that the U.S. wants to send back the last remaining Western detainee at Guantanamo, and the Canadian government must now decide whether to take him. |
| Sudan president threatens to oust South government Posted:  Sudan's president threatened Wednesday to topple his rival government to the south, harsh words that could escalate the conflict between the two nations as they intensify clashes over their shared border.
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| South Yemen violence kills 2 children, 6 militants Posted: Al-Qaida-linked militants fired mortars into a southern Yemeni town, killing two children, while government air raids killed six militants in another part of the town Wednesday, the Defense Ministry said. |
| ICC prosecutor in Libya over case of Gadhafi son Posted: Libya insisted Wednesday it will put a son of deposed ruler Moammar Gadhafi on trial itself, just as the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court flew to Tripoli to look into his case and that of Gadhafi's notorious spy chief. |
| AP Interview: Le Pen defends anti-Islam fight Posted:  She calls herself the "voice of the people," the anti-system candidate who will ensure social justice for the have-nots and purify a France she says is losing its voice to Europe and threatened by massive immigration and rampant Islamization.
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| Suu Kyi to leave Myanmar for 1st time in 24 years Posted:  Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi plans to travel to Britain and Norway in June on her first trip abroad in 24 years, her party spokesman said Wednesday.
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