- FBI: No evidence Mexico hit men targeted Americans
(AP)
AP - Confused hit men may have gone to the wrong party, the FBI said Tuesday as it cast doubt on fears that the slaying of three people with ties to the U.S. consulate shows that Mexican drug cartels have launched an offensive against U.S. government employees.
- Women, girls rape victims in Haiti quake aftermath
(AP)
AP - When the young woman needed to use the toilet, she went out into the darkened tent camp and was attacked by three men.
- U.S. official cancels Israel trip as Jerusalem clashes erupt
(AP)
AP - Hundreds of Palestinians in east Jerusalem set tires and garbage bins ablaze on Tuesday and hurled rocks at Israeli riot police, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. The heaviest clashes in months broke out as an American envoy abruptly canceled a visit, deepening a U.S.-Israeli diplomatic feud.
- Challenger overtakes Iraq PM in overall vote count
(AP)
AP - A secular coalition challenging the Iraqi prime minister in the country's historic parliamentary elections has narrowly pulled ahead for the first time in the overall vote count, although it still trails in the crucial province-by-province count.
- German bishop surprised at number of abuse cases
(AP)
AP - The Roman Catholic bishops in Pope Benedict XVI's native Bavaria sought Tuesday to deal with a sexual abuse scandal whose ever-widening scope has left church leaders baffled.
- Nowrooz, a Persian New Year Celebration, Erupts in Iran
(Time.com)
Time.com - The mullahs hate the holiday and opposition leaders don't dare touch it, but the Persian New Year has Iranians ignoring orders and taking to the streets -- with fire
- Mourinho warns Abramovich as Inter beat Chelsea
(AFP)
AFP - Inter Milan manager Jose Mourinho has warned Roman Abramovich that Chelsea may never win the Champions League after the former Blues boss returned to dump his old club out of the competition.
- West Bank street named for dead US activist
(AP)
AP - Palestinians in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Tuesday named a street after a U.S. activist who was crushed to death by an Israeli army bulldozer in a 2003 protest against house demolitions in Gaza.
- Amnesty calls for more freedom in Cuba
(AP)
AP - The human rights group Amnesty international appealed to Cuban President Raul Castro to release political prisoners and scrap laws that restrict fundamental freedoms, using the seventh anniversary of a major crackdown on dissent to call for change.
- Nigerian leader orders fast-tracking of amnesty deal
(AFP)
AFP - Nigerian Acting President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday ordered the implementation of an amnesty deal for ex-rebels to be sped up, his spokesman said a day after deadly blasts in the restive Niger Delta.
- Google partners call for clarity on China plans
(Reuters)
Reuters - Chinese firms selling advertising space on Google's search pages have demanded clarity about the Internet company's plans in China, warning they will demand compensation if it shuts its Chinese portal.
- Harper says budget deficit won't last
(Reuters)
Reuters - Canada will be able to get rid of its fiscal deficit in five years and some financial experts say this can be accomplished even earlier, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Tuesday.
- Australia says China ties 'back on track'
(AFP)
AFP - Relations with China are "back on track", Australia said Tuesday, adding it was optimistic Beijing would behave as a "responsible stakeholder" in global harmony as its power grew.
- Slow progress in Iraq vote count fuels suspicions
(McClatchy Newspapers)
McClatchy Newspapers - BAGHDAD — Iraq's embattled election commission announced Tuesday that 79 percent of the votes from parliamentary elections have been counted, a breakthrough for a process so slow that it's raised suspicions of fraud. The close race got even closer as a secular rival edged nearer to Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's coalition.
- Why Iran smiles on Jerusalem clashes
(The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - Iran is closely watching the unfolding crisis between Israel and the United States over Israeli settlements â and Jerusalem clashes with Palestinians that injured more than 100 today â for ways to rejuvenate its diminished influence in the Middle East.
- Clinton to visit Moscow amid strained U.S.-Russia relations
(Time.com)
Time.com - The Obama Administration had high hopes for wiping the slate clean with Russia and starting anew. But Washington still has a ways to go to gain Moscow's trust
- Climate Change: In Canada, No News Is Bad News
(OneWorld.net)
OneWorld.net - UXBRIDGE, Mar 16 (IPS) - Canada's
climate researchers are being muzzled, their funding slashed, research
stations closed, findings ignored and advice on the critical issue of
the century unsought by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government,
according to a 40-page report by a coalition of 60 non-governmental
organisations.