International
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Syrian leader says terrorists are behind unrest
BEIRUT (AP) — In his first interview since December, Syrian President Bashar Assad insisted Tuesday his regime is fighting back against foreign mercenaries who want to overthrow him, not innocent Syrians aspiring for democracy in a yearlong uprising. The interview with Russian TV showed Assad is still standing his ground, despite widespread international condemnation over his deadly crackdown on dissent.
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US sees deal near; Pakistan haggling over money
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. hopes of reopening Pakistan's supply routes for the Afghanistan war ahead of next week's NATO summit are going down to the wire. Washington is hopeful of an imminent deal. But Pakistan is insisting that the United States pay more to repair relations and end the blockade. Both sides say negotiations continued in Islamabad on Wednesday. The
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NKorea nuclear reactor construction progressing
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S.-based institute says new satellite imagery shows that North Korea has resumed building work on a reactor after months of inactivity. That indicates the North is pressing on with efforts to expand its nuclear program, the institute says, despite international criticism. North Korea says the reactor is intended to generate electricity but its active pursuit of
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Slain journalist remembered in London
LONDON (AP) — Leading politicians and journalists have gathered in London to pay tribute to slain war correspondent Marie Colvin. Colvin, 56, was killed on Feb. 22 when army shelling struck the building that served as a makeshift media center in the Syrian city of Homs. She worked for the Sunday Times of London. Her editor John Witherow described the
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Merkel fires minister after election defeat
BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel fired her environment minister on Wednesday after he led her conservative party to an embarrassingly heavy state election defeat. Merkel said she had asked Germany's president to dismiss Norbert Roettgen and replace him with Peter Altmaier, a trusted senior lawmaker who has been her party's chief whip since 2009 and helped organize parliamentary
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UN experts say Syria snubs demands on torture
GENEVA (AP) — A U.N. committee says the Syrian government has snubbed its demand for a report on torture. The Committee Against Torture said the Syrians skipped a meeting Wednesday and failed to report on whether it is complying with a 1987 U.N. convention against torture. The committee's 10 independent experts monitor nations' compliance with the convention Syria joined in
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Mexico anti-drug agents detain two army generals
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Federal prosecutors say anti-drug agents have detained and are questioning two army generals, including a former assistant defense secretary. The Attorney General's Office says in a brief statement released late Tuesday that soldiers detained retired Gen. Tomas Angeles Dauahare and Gen. Roberto Dawe Gonzalez . The office gave no other details. An official at the Attorney
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Walesa says today's Solidarity deserves a beating
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's former President Lech Walesa says that members of Solidarity, the trade union he once led, deserve to be beaten for a disruptive protest they staged last week in Warsaw. Walesa's comments Wednesday underline the deep split that has occurred between him and the labor movement he led in 1980s. At the time Solidarity was the
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Greece sets new elections
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece has scheduled new elections for June 17, after members of parliament couldn't agree on a coalition government following the last election earlier this month. Greek state TV says a court official will be appointed to head the interim government, but it won't make any internationally binding decisions. ©2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material
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Ratko Mladic's genocide trial gets under way
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Twenty years after the opening shots of the Bosnian War, former Bosnian Serb military commander Gen. Ratko Mladic has gone on trial at a UN tribunal on 11 charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ailing 70-year-old Mladic's appearance at the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal marks the end of a long wait