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• Syria rebels seize security compound near Golan
• Italian president urges unity as poll pressure grows
• Palestinian hunger striker exiled to Gaza
• China replaces Britain in world's top five arms exporters: report
• Venezuela's Maduro accuses U.S. of "plot" to kill rival
• Kenyatta lawyers push international court to drop case
• Bahrain court jails 17 for trying to kill policemen
• Russian lawmaker not reassured by U.S. missile defense plan
• New Israel housing minister pledges more settlement building
• Drinks companies cheer ladies' nights in India
• Palestinian ends hunger strike in deal
• Rowling to UK govt: Don't let down hacking victims
• Pope wades into crowds, surprising onlookers
• Indian police arrest 5 over Swiss tourist's rape
• Egypt vigilantes hang 2 thieves by feet in public
• Syria opposition to set up interim government
• Argentina blends devotion and marketing with pope
• Palestinians unenthusiastic about Obama visit
• Cyprus president tries to amend bailout plan
• Dublin tourists lead icy St. Patrick's Day parade
• Latest gang rape in India highlights risks for women, this time foreigners
• Can Iran, world powers build on recent progress in nuclear talks?
• Pope Francis connects with crowd after first window appearance
• China's Premier Li meets the press – but no unscripted questions, thank you

Syria rebels seize security compound near Golan Posted: 17 Mar 2013 02:43 PM PDT By Khaled Yacoub Oweis AMMAN (Reuters) - Syrian rebels on Sunday seized a Syrian military intelligence compound in the southern Hauran Plain near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, stepping up attacks in the strategic region which stretches to the outskirts of the capital Damascus, rebel commanders said. The frontier, quiet since Israel and Syria agreed on a U.S. ...

Italian president urges unity as poll pressure grows Posted: 17 Mar 2013 02:19 PM PDT By James Mackenzie ROME (Reuters) - Italian President Giorgio Napolitano appealed to political leaders on Sunday to work together to form a government, but his appeal fell on deaf ears and pressure grew for a new poll after last month's deadlocked election. The threat of months of political instability following the inconclusive ballot has triggered warnings across Europe that Italy cannot afford to delay urgent reforms to shore up its massive public debt and boost its sickly economy, now stuck in recession for over a year. ...

Palestinian hunger striker exiled to Gaza Posted: 17 Mar 2013 03:48 PM PDT By Nidal al-Mughrabi GAZA (Reuters) - A hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner was exiled by Israel to the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian officials said. The deal involving Ayman Sharawneh, whose case had helped fuel Palestinian protests, could reduce friction ahead of Wednesday's two-day visit by U.S. President Barack Obama to Israel and Palestinian territory. Sharawneh, 37, from the Hebron area in the occupied West Bank, had signed an agreement to stay in Gaza for 10 years, according to Qadura Fares, head of an advocacy group for Palestinian prisoners. Israel made no comment. ...

China replaces Britain in world's top five arms exporters: report Posted: 17 Mar 2013 04:42 PM PDT BEIJING (Reuters) - China has become the world's fifth-largest arms exporter, a respected Sweden-based think tank said on Monday, its highest ranking since the Cold War, with Pakistan the main recipient. China's volume of weapons exports between 2008 and 2012 rose 162 percent compared to the previous five year period, with its share of the global arms trade rising from 2 percent to 5 percent, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said. ...

Venezuela's Maduro accuses U.S. of "plot" to kill rival Posted: 17 Mar 2013 11:38 AM PDT By Daniel Wallis CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela's acting president urged U.S. President Barack Obama to stop what he called a plot by the Pentagon and the Central Intelligence Agency to kill his opposition rival and trigger a coup ahead of an April 14 election. Nicolas Maduro said the plan was to blame the murder on the OPEC nation's government and to "fill Venezuelans with hate" as they prepare to vote following the death of socialist leader Hugo Chavez. Maduro first mentioned a plot against his rival, Henrique Capriles, last week. ...

Kenyatta lawyers push international court to drop case Posted: 17 Mar 2013 04:26 PM PDT By Sara Webb and Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Lawyers for Kenya's president-elect, Uhuru Kenyatta, will push the International Criminal Court on Monday to drop charges against him after the case against his co-accused collapsed. The case against Kenyatta, on charges of crimes against humanity over bloodshed in the aftermath of Kenya's 2007 election, has been further complicated by his victory in a ballot which was held largely peacefully this month. ...

Bahrain court jails 17 for trying to kill policemen Posted: 17 Mar 2013 01:11 PM PDT DUBAI (Reuters) - A Bahrain court sentenced 17 people to 15 years in prison on Sunday after convicting them of trying to kill four policemen with a homemade bomb during political unrest last year. The attackers planted the bomb in a roadblock formed of tires, palm tree trunks and garbage bins, and detonated it when a police patrol approached, state news agency BNA quoted prosecutor Mamdouh Al-Maawda as saying. The four policemen were seriously hurt and burned during the attack in April 2012, BNA reported. ...

Russian lawmaker not reassured by U.S. missile defense plan Posted: 17 Mar 2013 11:32 AM PDT By Gabriela Baczynska MOSCOW (Reuters) - A change in the United States plans for an anti-missile shield in Europe will not prompt Russia to drop its opposition to the system, a senior lawmaker allied to President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday. U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Friday the Pentagon would add 14 new anti-missile interceptors in Alaska, among others, after North Korea had threatened a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States. To free up funds for that, U.S. ...

New Israel housing minister pledges more settlement building Posted: 17 Mar 2013 03:47 PM PDT JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's new housing minister said on Sunday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's incoming cabinet would keep expanding Jewish settlements to the same extent as his previous government. The remarks came two days ahead of a visit by U.S. President Barack Obama who has urged Israel to halt settlement on land that Palestinians seek for a state. They suggested that Netanyahu's new cabinet could prove to be as hawkish as his outgoing coalition. ...

Drinks companies cheer ladies' nights in India Posted: 17 Mar 2013 02:23 PM PDT By Aradhana Aravindan and Nandita Bose MUMBAI (Reuters) - Women who drink, long portrayed as less than respectable by Bollywood movies and still wary of entering most watering holes, are becoming big business in socially conservative India. Makers of alcoholic beverages, including global No.1 Diageo, are taking notice of this small segment of India's $10 billion drinks industry that is growing more than twice as fast as the overall sector and presents a significant, if delicate, market opportunity. ...

Palestinian ends hunger strike in deal Posted: 17 Mar 2013 03:38 PM PDT EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip (AP) — A freed Palestinian prisoner was given a hero's welcome in the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening after ending his hunger strike in an Israeli jail and agreeing to a plea bargain that will confine him to the Hamas-run territory for the next 10 years.

Rowling to UK govt: Don't let down hacking victims Posted: 17 Mar 2013 02:49 PM PDT LONDON (AP) — Celebrities including J.K. Rowling and Hugh Grant accused the British government on Sunday of letting down the victims of media intrusion and urged tough new measures to rein in Britain's unruly press.

Pope wades into crowds, surprising onlookers Posted: 17 Mar 2013 01:33 PM PDT VATICAN CITY (AP) — Walking up to crowds, shaking hands with surprised bystanders in the street, mixing his formal speeches with off-the-cuff remarks, Pope Francis stamped his own style on the papacy Sunday.

Indian police arrest 5 over Swiss tourist's rape Posted: 17 Mar 2013 01:41 PM PDT NEW DELHI (AP) — Police said they arrested five men Sunday in connection with the gang rape of a Swiss woman who was attacked in central India while on a cycling vacation with her husband.

Egypt vigilantes hang 2 thieves by feet in public Posted: 17 Mar 2013 01:40 PM PDT CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian vigilantes beat two men accused of stealing a motorized rickshaw on Sunday and then hung them by their feet while some in a watching crowd chanted "kill them!" Both men died, security officials said.

Syria opposition to set up interim government Posted: 17 Mar 2013 01:02 PM PDT BEIRUT (AP) — Syria's main opposition group is launching its most serious attempt yet to form a rival government to President Bashar Assad's regime, convening in Turkey on Monday to choose an interim prime minister for areas the rebels control.

Argentina blends devotion and marketing with pope Posted: 17 Mar 2013 03:21 PM PDT BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — From slum chapels to Buenos Aires' imposing cathedral, Argentines celebrated their pope in Sunday Masses.

Palestinians unenthusiastic about Obama visit Posted: 17 Mar 2013 01:28 PM PDT RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — President Barack Obama will find a disillusioned Palestinian public, skeptical about his commitment to promoting Mideast peace, when he visits the region.

Cyprus president tries to amend bailout plan Posted: 17 Mar 2013 03:55 PM PDT NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus' president said Sunday that he is trying to amend a key provision of an unpopular eurozone bailout plan that would tax deposits in the country's banks to reduce its effect on small savers.

Dublin tourists lead icy St. Patrick's Day parade Posted: 17 Mar 2013 01:32 PM PDT DUBLIN (AP) — Never mind the fickle Irish weather. A chilly, damp Dublin celebrated St. Patrick's Day with artistic flair anyway Sunday as the focal point for a weekend of Irish celebrations worldwide.

Latest gang rape in India highlights risks for women, this time foreigners Posted: 17 Mar 2013 10:17 AM PDT The gang rape of a Swiss tourist in India, as she camped overnight with her husband in a forest in central India, follows by a few months the brutal gang rape of an Indian student in New Delhi that held international attention for weeks.

Can Iran, world powers build on recent progress in nuclear talks? Posted: 17 Mar 2013 07:19 AM PDT Experts of Iran and six world powers will meet behind closed doors in Istanbul tomorrow for "technical-level" nuclear talks aimed at turning recent diplomatic progress into concrete measures.

Pope Francis connects with crowd after first window appearance Posted: 17 Mar 2013 06:28 AM PDT Breaking with tradition, Pope Francis delivered off-the-cuff remarks about God's power to forgive instead of reading from a written speech for the first Sunday window appearance of his papacy.

China's Premier Li meets the press – but no unscripted questions, thank you Posted: 17 Mar 2013 06:15 AM PDT China is unlike any other country in the world when it comes to press conferences: You generally learn more from the questions that are asked than from the answers that officials give.

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