WASHINGTON, April 19 (Reuters) –
TOP STORIES
———–
BEIRUT/UNITED NATIONS – Syria and the United Nations signed
an agreement on Thursday on terms for hundreds of observers to
monitor a ceasefire, but fierce diplomatic wrangling lies ahead
to persuade the West that the mission can have the authority and
power to ensure peace.
– – – –
MANAMA – Formula One cars take to the track in Bahrain on
Friday with the government hoping a successful Grand Prix will
draw a line under more than a year of Arab Spring protests and
activists promising to mark the motor race with “days of rage”.
– – – –
PARIS – With his back against the wall, President Nicolas
Sarkozy brushed off opinion polls that show he will lose
France’s presidential election and delivered a defiant speech
three days from the first round of the vote.
– – – –
BHUBANESWAR, India – India successfully test-fired on
Thursday a nuclear-capable missile that can reach Beijing and
Eastern Europe, thrusting the emerging Asian power into a small
club of nations that can deploy nuclear weapons at such a great
distance.
– – – –
WASHINGTON – China has provided some assistance to North
Korea’s missile program, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
said on Thursday, a week after the hermit state’s failed missile
launch triggered broad international condemnation.
– – – –
BAGHDAD – More than 20 bombs hit cities and towns across
Iraq on Thursday, killing at least 36 and wounding almost 150,
police and hospital sources said, raising fears of sectarian
strife in a country whose authorities are keen to show they can
now maintain security.
– – – –
BRUSSELS – European Union governments are to suspend most
sanctions against Myanmar next week, EU diplomats said on
Thursday, in recognition of rapid political and economic reforms
after decades of military dictatorship.
– – – –
KHARTOUM/JUBA – Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir all
but declared war against his newly independent neighbor on
Thursday, vowing to teach South Sudan a “final lesson by force”
after it occupied a disputed oil field.
– – – –
KABUL – Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned photographs
of U.S. soldiers posing with the mangled bodies of Afghan
insurgent bombers as “inhuman” on Thursday, calling for a rapid
transition from NATO to Afghan security to prevent more such
incidents.
– – – –
VIENNA – Iran says it is ready to resume talks with the U.N.
nuclear watchdog two months after their last meeting ended in
failure, but still appears to be stonewalling a request for
access to a key military site, Western diplomats said on
Thursday.
– – – –
OSLO – Norwegian anti-Islamic fanatic Anders Behring Breivik
told a court on Thursday he had planned for even bigger attacks
before killing 77 people and had prepared for the massacre by
playing computer games.
– – – –
BUENOS AIRES – Argentine lawmakers took their first step
toward nationalizing the country’s No. 1 oil company when a
Senate committee agreed on the outlines of a bill to put YPF
under state control.
– – – –
LONDON – A last-minute legal decision that delayed the
deportation of a terrorism suspect from Britain to Jordan
sparked incredulity and outrage on Thursday from politicians and
media angry at the coalition government’s handling of the high
profile affair.
(Editing by Philip Barbara)
