BEIRUT – Syrian forces killed 13 people yesterday during widespread protests against President Bashar al-Assad, activists said, a day after Syria’s big power ally Russia sharpened its criticism of Damascus in a draft United Nations resolution.
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CAIRO – At least two people were killed and 222 wounded in Cairo yesterday as troops fought demonstrators in the worst violence since Egypt began its first free election in six decades.
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TOKYO – Japan declared its tsunami-stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant to be in cold shutdown yesterday, taking a major step to resolving the world’s worst nuclear crisis in 25 years but some critics questioned whether the plant was really under control.
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ROME/BERLIN – The credit rating agency Fitch said yesterday it thought a comprehensive solution to the euro zone’s debt crisis was beyond reach, putting six euro zone economies including Italy on watch for potential near-term downgrades.
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FORT MEADE – An American Army intelligence analyst suspected of being behind the largest leak of classified documents in U.S. history made his first court appearance yesterday, sitting stone-faced as military prosecutors launched into their case against him.
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WASHINGTON – Republican U.S. presidential contender Mitt Romney, once the leader and presumed nominee, is back in front-runner mode.
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GENEVA/MOSCOW – Russia won admission to the World Trade Organisation yesterday after 18 years of negotiations, finally gaining full integration into the global economy two decades after the Soviet Union collapsed.
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MOSCOW – Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s approval rating has dropped to its lowest level of the year in the first opinion poll published since his ruling party suffered an election setback and he faced the biggest protests of his 12-year rule.
